“The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.” [#966]
Those other Christians that’s you and me.
In a third-grade class at a Catholic school, a teacher asked, “Who can tell me what the Feast of the Assumption is all about?
[A little boy raised his hand and said] “It means that Mary was so holy that we just assume she went to Heaven.” [Sick, & You Cared For Me, Fr. James J. Greenfield, OSFS, P. 279]
That little boy was close to the truth, Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, officially proclaimed that the Blessed Mother “… having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” So, today we celebrate The Solemnity of the Assumption, and it reminds us that we have been called to participate in The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In our first reading from the Book of Revelation [a.k.a. The Apocalypse] points to Mary “… clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of 12 stars.” The Book of Revelation is replete with many images, hymns, and music: clothed with the sun means clad with Christ, the moon under her feet means she will endure through all time and the crown of 12 stars represents a city founded by the Apostles and Mary. [Everyone’s Apocalypse: A Reflection Guide by Donal McIlraith, p.59]
In our second reading, St. Paul teaches us that “… Christ has been raised from the dead … [and] in Christ shall all be brought to life.” And today’s Alleluia verse succinctly sums up our Feast, “Mary is taken up to heaven a chorus of angles exults.”
What does this Solemnity mean for us today and how should it impact our lives?
The Gospel helps us understand how we are to live in our time, our time with COVID, Climate Change, Deep Divisions in our nation and our world.
Mary is a beacon of Hope.
She shares in Her Son’s Resurrection and our Hope is founded on His Resurrection. Her Assumption body and soul into heaven gives hope to the lowly, that’s you and me. Her prayer The Magnificat proclaims God’s blessings on her and on us. Mary announces the Lord’s greatness and rejoices in it. Mary prayed the Lord, “… has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.”
How can we love and pray to the Lord in fear? Fear of the Lord is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; it means the deep desire not to offend the Lord.
It means to accept the Lord’s grace to guide our lives, our actions.
It means the Lord is our goal, and our path to that goal. Mary’s Magnificat a song of praise and thanksgiving offers us a model for how to pray, “… she expresses joy, reflects on her life, praises God & recognizes God’s import on history.”
[America Magazine, August 2021, p.68]
The Prayer is about God, entirely about God and doing God’s will.
Maybe Kristen Weston’s story can help us understand, “With God in the delivery room.” Kristen is an obstetrics nurse at Pine Ridge Hospital in South Dakota. She loves nursing and sees her work among her own Lakota people as a vocation.
In June of this year Kristen wrote about the night she discovered her work was a call from God, a night that would not have a happy ending. Kristen was assigned to care for a family and the expectant mother would be delivering a stillborn baby.
Nothing in nursing school had prepared her for such a situation. Before entering the room, the young nurse prayed: God, I know you guided me here to do your work, but I don’t know what to do …. please be with me while I do my best to take care of this family. She “… took a deep breath, walked into the room, [with] God at my side. The feeling in the room was thick with sorrowful emotions, and I was still unsure of how to begin our interaction.
[When] I opened my mouth, I felt God take over and lead me to find just the right words: My name is Kristin, and I’ll be with you tonight. That was it. With those few words I was guided toward, … I felt that I was not alone in the care I was giving the mother . . .. I realized something that has played a big role in my nursing career ever since. I have God with me, … I do not have to be afraid of going through trying situations with patients by myself.” On the most difficult night of her career, a young nurse realizes that the love of God “abides” with her in her compassion and courage. [Adopted from Connections, 8/15/2021]
Each Sunday the Lord invites us to be nourished and strengthened by Him in the Eucharist, to feed on His Body and Blood, His Real Presence. Today may each one of us join Mary and “proclaim the Lord’s greatness and rejoice in God my Savior.” Mary sought God’s presence her life, she sought to find it, live it, and proclaim it. We are called to do the same and to realize God’s presence in others.
For a few minutes, in silence, reflect on how Mary can lead you to Her Son, her Savior and your Savior.
“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.” St. Brendan the Navigator
St. Joseph pray for us.
St. Andre Bessette intercede for us.
St. Francis de Sales pray for us.
May God Be Praised!
The first and fourth paintings were done by Brother Mickey McGrath, O.S.F.S. and the second and the third are in the public domain.
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