St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was strongly tempted one night to stay away from divine office in chapel the next morning. He knew that the day would be Aug. 14, the vigil of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and that the service would contain the words from the Martyrology of Usuard†: "As yet the Church has given no decision upon the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, exercising a prudent reserve as to trivial, or apocryphal legends." St. Anthony, who steadfastly believed that Mary's body had indeed been taken into Heaven after her death, hated to hear...
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