her heart with her Son as he died on the cross (cf. John 19:25–27). As Paul teaches in Romans 8:17 and 2 Timothy 4:6–8, suffering in this life is rewarded by God in the next. The Assumption reminds us that, as Mary suffered with her Son in a unique way, she also shares in his glory in a unique way by being the first Christian to be assumed. Mary’s Assumption into heaven is a beacon of hope for us. By taking his Mother bodily into heaven to be by his side, Christ made her a sign of the fact that we
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