Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption

(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict presided over Mass on Wednesday at the parish church of St. Thomas de Villanova in Castelgandolfo near Rome to mark the Solemnity of the Assumption. In his homily, the Pope said that in God there is space for mankind and Mary by joining God is not moving away from us but instead is coming closer to us all. God, said the Pope, is awaiting us and warned that a world that moves away from God doesn't become better but worse.

Celebrated on August 15th each year, the Feast commemorates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven and is the oldest Marian Feast in the Church. But how can we explain the significance and symbolism of this Solemnity? When was the Feast of the Assumption first celebrated and what further light does it cast on the figure of Mary?

Listen to a reflection on the wonder and importance of the Assumption by Father Robert Ombres, former Procurator General of the Dominican Order followed by an interview by Susy Hodges with Father Clyde Rausch, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate.