Jesus chose to die as the means by which he would save humanity. He did not have to die. As for Mary, she did not *have *to die either. The Church has not defined whether Mary did, in fact, die. Eastern Christians usually hold that she fell asleep (called the Dormition) before the Assumption; Western Christians generally agree that she did indeed die. If Mary did die, it may have been so that her life would more fully conform to that of her Son’s.
