First Rule of Engineering: Make Good Assumptions

Today, we celebrate the Assumption of Mary completely, body and soul, into heaven, but did you know that there has been a subtle tradition within the Church that Joe was assumed body and soul into heaven too? And these are no insignificant people, perhaps the most notable modern day attribution is St. John XXIII who in his homily for the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord said that "we can piously believe" that Joe was assumed into heaven (unfortunately, there is no official English translation, but if you speak either Italian or Spanish, here is a link to the homily).

But what are the basis of this belief? Most begin with the assumption (pun very much intended) that the Old Testament Joseph prefigures Joe. If we accept this, then we can look to the what happens to the Old Testament Joseph, and begin inferring.

1. Genesis 50:24-26
• Joseph died, but before he did he made his family promise to bury him in the Promised Land, when they would eventually leave Egypt. 
• and after he died, "He was embalmed and laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt."
• that is to say that his body was preserved from extreme corruption.
2. Exodus 13:19
• Moses brought the bones (or whole body if he was mummified) of Joseph out of Egypt into the desert.
3. Joshua 24:29-33
• Joshua died and was laid to rest in the Promised Land.
• Then Joseph's bones/mummy were laid to rest in the Promised Land.
• Finally, Eleazar died and was laid to rest in the Promised Land.

So how does this infer Joe's Assumption?

1. Egypt and the Promised Land have been repeatedly seen to signify Earth and Heaven. 
• So like Joseph, Joe died in the not-so-promised land, but his body was preserved from corruption.
2. Christ has been seen by many to have been prefigured by Moses, who does not die in the Promised Land but right outside it and is mysteriously buried (Deut. 24:5-6, Jude 1:9)
• He carries Joe's bones outside of Earth into the Limbo of the Just.
3. Just as Christ is prefigured by Moses, so He is also prefigured by Joshua, particularly after His Resurrection.
• After Joshua is laid to rest in the Promised Land (aka Jesus enters heaven), 
• Joseph is laid to rest (aka Joe enters heaven), 
• and finally Eleazar is laid to rest (aka Mary enters heaven) ***More on this point later!!!

This only scratches the surface of the believe that Joe is assumed body and soul in heaven, but I'm sure we will return sometime later!