Here’s Mary and the Christian Life by Amy Welborn. It's free today, on Amazon Kindle.
Here is an excerpt from the book, about the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
The Assumption of Mary is simply the teaching that Mary has been “assumed” or “taken” into heaven, body and soul. She enjoys now what all disciples hope for-the resurrection of the body, life eternal in the presence of God.
Although the Assumption was not formally defined as Catholic doctrine until 1950 by Pope Pius XII, it was widely believed since ancient times. We find the original articulation of this belief in the Eastern Church. This isn’t surprising because the East is where Christianity began and, for the first few centuries, where most theological conversations were taking place. In addition, from early on, Eastern Christians nurtured a strong devotion to Mary, in which her status in heaven reflects the Eastern understanding of salvation as a sharing in the life of God. The Eastern celebration of this event is called the “Dormition” or “falling asleep.” Eastern Christians believe that Mary did die and that Jesus took her body to heaven, leaving an empty tomb.
