The Tomb of Mary

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There is a very strong tradition coming from Jerusalem of the Assumption of Mary.

A document called The Transitus Mariae which in turn is based on the writing by Lucius Carinus, a disciple of John the Apostle, relates that Mary lived next to the Church of the Last Supper, the Upper Room on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem so that she might be close to Jesus in the Eucharist. The Church of the Dormition is now over what was her home. The Angel Gabriel made known that her time on earth was short. She prayed for the Apostles to return, for all but James the Less had been sent on mission throughout the world. Mary visited all the Holy Sites in Jerusalem one last time. All the living Apostles returned. Except for Thomas, he was late.

The icon of the Dormition tells us a story. We see the body of the Mother of God on her funeral bier surrounded by the Apostles. Above her is Jesus enveloped in uncreated light with what appears to be a tiny child in his arms wrapped in swaddling clothes. The Holy Mother of God repeats the prayer, “My soul magnifies the Lord…” as the Savior opens the gates of heaven and takes her blessed soul into His arms. Her soul appears like a tiny child wrapped in swaddling clothes, Immaculate. The disciples treat her body with great reverence and process it through the streets of Jerusalem from Mt Zion towards Gethsemane where they place it in the tomb and give her a last kiss and seal the tomb with a stone, as was the custom. There they stay in prayer.

After three days, the Apostle Thomas arrives and begs the Apostles to reopen the tomb so that he can give the last kiss to the Mary. When they do, the tomb is empty. To console him, She appears to Thomas and gives him her cloak, her mantle. 

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Each year, when they Celebrate the Assumption of Mary in Jerusalem, they by going to the foot of the Mt. of Olives to the Church of the Tomb of Mary.

They process with candles down the long crusader staircase to her Tomb where they venerate this holy site. Behind the Tomb of Mary they place an icon of Mary on a table draped with a beautiful cloth. Each person gets down on their hands and knees, like a little child and crawls under the table, under the Mantle of Mary, rises on the other side and kisses the cheek of Our Lady.

What a beautiful expression of their love, their consecration and their relationship to Mary.

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When Mary appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531 she said to him:

“Hear and let it penetrate into your heart, my dear little son (Mijito); let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you. Let nothing alter your heart or your countenance. Am I not here who  am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else that you need?

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St John Damascene proposed Consecration to Mary in one of his sermons on the Assumption at the Tomb of Mary around the year 700:

We today also remain near you, O Lady. Yes, I repeat, O Lady, Mother of God and Virgin. We bind our souls to your hope, as to a most firm and totally unbreakable anchor, consecrating to you mind, souls, body and all our being and honoring you as much as we can with psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles.

At Fatima in 1917 Mary revealed to the three children that God wishes to establish in the world devotion (consecration) to My Immaculate Heart, wanting to save it by this means.

Why do we consecrate the world and ourselves to Mary?

For the most profound reason: we are powerless on our own to change anything. By our power alone we cannot change ourselves, let alone bring about world peace.

Only Jesus has the power to save, to change and to transform us.

And it is the precise role of the Holy Spirit and Mary (for they work as one) to dispose our hearts, to open our hearts to receive Jesus so that he can save us and restore peace and justice.

We turn to Mary and the Holy Spirit in this consecration so that they will open our heart to receive Jesus – the only One strong enough to overcome the evil in the world and our own hearts.  

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Devotion or consecration to Mary means to live in imitation of Jesus relationship with Mary. Jesus consecrated himself to Mary to be a little embryo in her womb and a child in her care. He spent 30 of the 33 years of his life living a personal relationship with Mary. If we want to imitate Jesus then we will follow the Master, consecrate ourselves to Mary and then live the consecration by living a personal relationship with her, moment to moment, day after day. Invite Mary to be your Mother, your Spiritual Director and your friends.

Even though She was Assumed into Heaven, she has not departed. She is present. An awareness of the Presence of Mary is not just for the spiritually elite – it is for all her children who cultivate a knowledge of her Presence.

A good resolution would be that every time you see an image of Mary, let it remind you she is present, and then talk with her. You will be amazed how she leads you.

Prayer written by JPII “Totus Tuus”

Immaculate Conception, Mary my Mother

Live in me, Act in me, Speak in me and through me,

Think your thoughts in my mind, Love through my heart.

Give me your dispositions and feelings.

Teach me, lead me and guide me to Jesus.

Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior.

Posses my soul. Take over my entire personality and life. Replace it with yourself. Incline me to constant adoration.

Pray in me and through me. Let me live in you and keep me in this union always. Amen