Dear Parishioners of St. James:
Praised be Jesus Christ!
August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. At the end of her earthly pilgrimage Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken body and soul into heavenly glory. As sinless from her conception and all throughout her life on earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary did not suffer the corruption of death. She is our model of living in the state of grace so that we might enter heaven in the future.
It was not God’s design that man should suffer and die. The original sin of Adam introduced sin and its deadly consequences to the human race. We suffer the effects of Adam’s sin, which make us vulnerable to temptations during our pilgrimage on Earth. Frequent Confession and Holy Communion, daily prayer, and the spirit of self-denial help us maintain our friendship with God. If we die in the state of grace but are not sufficiently purified to enter heaven, then we must pass through the fires of Purgatory. Our souls will then wait for reunion with our glorified bodies at the Resurrection of the Righteous at the end of time.
Our Lady already enjoys the vision of God in her glorified body in Heaven. She intercedes for us that we might join her one day. May her example of holiness spur us on to the victory she shares now with Jesus Christ our Lord.
God bless you,
Fr. Geary
Saint James Catholic Church 