Bulletin Column: The Ark Assumed into Heaven

This past week, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. It is an ancient tradition, defined dogmatically by the Church, where we say that at the end of Mary’s life, she was taken up, body and soul, into Heaven. It is worth stopping to consider all of this given that we cannot point to a passage in Scripture which records such an event. Why, then, is it Catholic belief? Why is it important to hold to? While we see something similar in Old Testament figures, most prominently Elijah, and also probably Enoch, why do we affirm this of our Blessed Mother?

It is worth noting that the Assumption of Mary is a historical matter. If she was indeed assumed into Heaven, then it’s simply the fact that the Assumption is true, and that’s that. However, what can we find in the Scriptures which might gesture in this direction? An important thing to be familiar with here is typology. Typology is the matching of Old Testament figures and episodes to their fulfillment in the New Testament. So, for example, we know of King David in the Old Testament and that Jesus is the new David, the fulfillment, as is were, of David’s life and kingship. Another example would be the manna from heaven being a type, a foreshadowing, of the Eucharist. If we look at Mary, an Old Testament type which we can connect her with, especially regarding the Assumption, is the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant is the ornate container which housed the Ten Commandments, a portion of manna, and the staff of Moses’ brother Aaron. It was placed in the innermost part of the Temple and was understood to be the place where God’s presence dwelt. The parallel becomes clearer here. If God’s presence in earth is contained in the Ark, how much more is God’s presence contained in the womb of Mary! Indeed, Exodus 40 tells us of how the glory of God overshadowed the Ark, just like how the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. Also, in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, just like how King David leaped before the Ark as he brought it into Jerusalem. There are other similar examples.

The passage about David is important because it gives rise to the ancient Christian belief that, just as David sought to bring the Ark into His kingdom, so too did Jesus (the new David) seek to bring Mary (the new Ark) into His Kingdom. Indeed, Revelation 11:19 depicts the Ark as being in the Heavenly Kingdom. This fits with the historical fact that the Ark of the Covenant was famously lost; nobody knows where it was ultimately taken to. Yet we see the same with Mary. There is no traditional or known resting place for her. We have reputed burial places for many figures in the early Church, but Mary’s is not amongst them. Like the Ark, her final resting place is also lost. But in truth, this is not the case. We do know where she rests, and the Church has told us: She has been taken to be with Her Son, and just as King David rejoiced to see the Ark come into His kingdom, so too can we understand the jubilation at the arrival in Heaven of the true Ark: Mary, our Blessed Mother, on the day of her Assumption.