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This Friday, 15th August is the feast of the Assumption, the patron feast day of New Zealand.
The feast of the Assumption is the celebration of our belief that Mary went to heaven with both body and soul. We believe that at the end of time our bodies and souls will be united, according to the teaching of the Nicene Creed, "We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." When Pope Pius XII initiated this feast he hoped, "that by thinking about Mary's Assumption people all over the world would develop a deeper respect for their own lives and their own bodies. He also hoped that people would grow in respect for the lives of others," (www.loyolapress.com).
In these times of terrible violence in the world, especially in the Holy Land, the Assumption stands as witness to the dignity of the embodied person.
In these times of terrible violence in the world, especially in the Holy Land, the Assumption stands as witness to the dignity of the embodied person.
The thinking behind the feast of the Assumption is based on how special Jesus was. The woman who bore him and loved and cared for him as a growing child is believed to have been given this special honour, because of her relationship with Jesus.
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