In the Litany of Our Lady, one of the titles with which we honour her is "Ark of the Covenant". The attribution of this title to Mary is based on a theological understanding of St Luke's account of the Annunciation, where Gabriel promised Mary that the glory of God would come to rest on her. That is to say, the glory of God would be transferred from the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple to her, because, once she conceived Jesus, she in person would be God's dwelling place on earth until she gave birth to Jesus, and thereafter forever the person through whom God's first promise (Genesis 3:15) was fulfilled.

In the reading from the Apocalypse, John tells us that the sanctuary in heaven opened and the Ark of the Covenant could be seen inside. It is spiritually attractive to collate these various scriptural statements and to assert that, whether John meant it or not, the Apocalypse statement points to Mary in heaven, not as a spirit or soul alone, but assumed into heaven in her bodily participation in the grace of the resurrection won for us by her Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.