Quote for the Day: The Alma Mater

[Shin]

'Because Mary remained hidden during her life she is called by the Holy Spirit and the Church "Alma Mater", Mother hidden and unknown. So great was her humility that she desired nothing more upon earth than to remain unknown to herself and to others, and to be known only to God. In answer to her prayers to remain hidden, poor and lowly, God was pleased to conceal her from nearly every other human creature in her conception, her birth, her life, her mysteries, her resurrection and assumption. Her own parents did not really know her; and the angels would often ask one another, "Who can she possibly be?", for God had hidden her from them, or if he did reveal anything to them, it was nothing compared with what he withheld.'

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

[odhiambo]

'Because Mary remained hidden during her life she is called by the Holy Spirit and the Church "Alma Mater", Mother hidden and unknown. So great was her humility that she desired nothing more upon earth than to remain unknown to herself and to others, and to be known only to God. In answer to her prayers to remain hidden, poor and lowly, God was pleased to conceal her from nearly every other human creature in her conception, her birth, her life, her mysteries, her resurrection and assumption. Her own parents did not really know her; and the angels would often ask one another, "Who can she possibly be?", for God had hidden her from them, or if he did reveal anything to them, it was nothing compared with what he withheld.'

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

... her resurrection ....

   
The Body of the BVM was assumed into heaven. This has always been my understanding.
Am I wrong in so believing?

[Shin]

Oh, no, the Assumption is dogma.

Her resurrection is not incompatible with that. In Heaven she lives, resurrected body and soul, that is what I have read.

Though it has always felt unfitting in a sense that someone without original sin should pass on, to me, it appears to be what occurred, as she followed the example of Christ, who after all, died too.

I have been meaning to read more about that actually, but as yet have not more fully.

[Shin]

My impression is that her spirit would have briefly separated from her body, and then been restored in her newly resurrected body, which would gain all the attributes of the resurrected. . .

Truly it must be special to read about, I feel neglectful not having looked into the matter further. Yet it is so holy and sacred a matter. . . one is hesitant.. . to even look into what the saints may have to say. . .

[odhiambo]

Once you have identified the material for reading, lease share it with us.

[martin]

When Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption, he left open the question as to whether or not The Blessed Virgin experienced death.

"We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith."

Even though being exempt from the fall of Adam, it could be considered fitting that Our Blessed Lady would have desired to experience death that she might follow the way of her Son more closely.
It would equally be fitting that she be assumed into heaven without experiencing death.
What we know for sure is that when the course of her life in this world had concluded, she was taken body and soul into heaven, unlike sinners who experience bodily decay.

I'm inclined to go with the former view that her soul did leave her body and immediately returned to be assumed with her body. As there is no definitive church proclamation on this we can contemplate the matter while still being subject to any further Church pronouncement.

St John Damascene says, "It was right that she who had kept her virginity unimpaired through the process of giving birth should have kept her body without decay through death."

[Bailey2]

I know it is an opinion but I would have a great deal of difficulty not assuming she died first since her Son died first.  Perhaps this was assumed and therefore not spelled out?