The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

August 15^th. 

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Apocalypse 11:19, 12:1-6, 10. Psalm 44:10-12, 16.Rv.10. 1Cor.15:20-26.

Victory, power and empire have been won by our God and all authority for Christ.

On your right stands the queen in garments of gold.

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep.

Blessed is she who believed the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.

Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. ⁴⁰ She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? ⁴⁴ Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. ⁴⁵ Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.' ⁴⁶ And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ⁴⁸ because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹ for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, ⁵⁰ and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him. ⁵¹ He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. ⁵² He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. ⁵³ He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love ⁵⁵ -according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

Hope of Glory

            There are countless churches dedicated to Our Lady. She is honoured enormously throughout the world. However if you happened to visit Nazareth when she lived there and called on her, you would have met a woman no different in appearance from the other women in the village. She lived in a poor house and suffered all the difficulties of any poverty stricken family. She had her anxieties, sorrows and disappointments like everyone else. She was subject to temptation too. She lived no charmed life. Because of the times and her economic situation her life would have been much harder than ours. She lived in darkness and she lived by faith.

            Where does her greatness lie? Elizabeth tells us, “Blessed is she who believed”. Mary didn’t see any more than we do, but she had total belief in the Word of God. She always said ‘Yes’, full of love and enthusiasm for whatever God asked of her. Throughout her life she discovered the will of God in prayer. “She treasured all these messages and continually pondered over them”. “She kept these things in her heart”. There were no visions. In prayer Mary listened and followed the inspirations of God. Of all his disciples she had complete faith in her Son and followed even to Calvary where her heart was pierced by a sword.

            Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are those who know their spiritual poverty, theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”.  Mary realised her total nothingness – that she had come from nothing and she had nothing of her own, that she had no merits and could make no demands of God. Everything she had was his gift, “He has looked upon his lowly handmaid” and “the Almighty has done great things for me”.

            Because she was to be the mother of his Son, God especially blessed her. He gave her in view of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus the life in the Spirit from the first moment of her conception. We receive it when we are baptised. In faith and love she cooperated with God in all things and he preserved her from even the slightest sin. After her life was over she shared the fruits of her Son’s Resurrection and reigns with him.

            Mary has reached the goal that you and I hope to reach. Heaven is not a place of souls ‘floating around’. We know with certainty that Jesus and Mary are there as complete human beings with body and soul. We cannot say anything about the glorified body of Jesus since we have no experience of it, but as he is so is Mary and as Mary is so will we be. The way to reach their state is to imitate Mary who loved and imitated her Son.

Father, may we live as Mary did with love for her Son and faith in your Word.