Assumption of Mary Holy Day August 15, 2025: Soul & Body

Soul & Body

[Homily available in written format only.]

Remember the horrific flooding down in Texas last month? They still can’t find the bodies of three missing people. They are presumed to have died, but when someone’s missing, we don’t stop looking. Why? Because finding the body is important. The body is not just the casing (or shell) for the person, The body holds the physical presence of the person to the world. 

And that’s why the Church celebrates Mary today, who was taken up into heaven —soul and body. Her body mattered. She wasn’t just a soul, floating around. She was Mary. Fully herself. The mother of Jesus. 

But think about it ... we all have had a love/hate relationship with the body. Way back, Greek philosophers thought our bodies were cages for the soul. So your soul was like a bird trapped in a cage (the body). And so death? That was freedom. The soul could finally escape.

Unfortunately, that kind of thinking crept into Christianity too. Some saints and writers treated the body like the enemy—something to beat into holiness. So we ended up with this weird idea that being “spiritual” means ignoring our bodies. Bad theology!

Then in 1637, the French philosopher, Rene Descartes wrote his famous line is, “I think, therefore I am.” He basically started people considering themselves “brains in a jar.” And today we still have that consideration as some of us treat our bodies like used cars. We fix them up, trash them, upgrade parts if we can. But many of us still act like the body is separate from who we are. 

Here’s the truth: our bodies and souls are a package deal. We don’t just have a body—we are our bodies. Think about it—God comes to us through physical things. Nature, music, art. We have water in Baptism. Bread and wine in the Eucharist. Oil in Confirmation. We touch, taste, hear, and feel the sacraments. Why? Because we meet God in the flesh.

And so did Mary. She heard God in the whisper of a breeze, felt God's love in Joseph’s touch, smelled it in baking bread. That’s why she was assumed body and soul into heaven—it wasn’t some bonus prize. It was the natural next step of her wholeness.

What we celebrate today is God meeting us in the flesh. Not just in Mary’s story—but in our stories too. In our aches and pains, in our diagnoses and anxieties, in our aging knees and healing hearts. God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect. He shows up in the mess of our real, physical lives.

That’s why, after Mass today, we’re offering the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. It's not just for the dying. It’s for anyone who’s facing illness, physical or emotional pain, chronic conditions, surgeries ahead—or just carrying something heavy.

In this sacrament, we do exactly what today’s feast celebrates: we honor the sacredness of the body and soul together. We ask God to bring strength, peace, and healing—right here, right now, in your actual body. So, if you feel called—or even just curious—stick around after Mass. Come forward to be anointed. Or just sit quietly and pray for those who are. Let’s be the Body of Christ for each other.

Because Mary’s Assumption reminds us that God wants all of you—body and soul—wrapped up in love. And healing (and blessing and mending) is part of that journey.