The image St. Paul of the “first fruits” provides the context to understand the Assumption of Mary. Mary as the first believer in Jesus has gone ahead of us into glory to show us the way. As she is, so we shall be. This is a good moment to reflect on the statement in the creed: “I believe in the Resurrection of the body.” Since our bodies change over time it is not this particular group of chemicals that is raised. Rather, the creed teaches us that it is our individuality, our personhood, our “embodied” self that is raised. Who we are with our own history has eternal significance. Heaven is not for generic “souls” but particular people claimed by God in our specificity.
