Sunday, August 15 2021. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sunday, August 15 2021
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1st Reading: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10
The woman and the dragon depicted the persecuted church; but came to include the Assumption of our Lady
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah.
Responsorial: from Psalm 45
R./: The queen stands at your right hand, robed in gold
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your own people and your father’s house. (R./)
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord, pay homage to him. (R./)
They are brought in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king. (R./)
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-25
Christ is “first fruits” of the resurrection. His Mother already shares the fullness of redemption
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power; for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Gospel: Luke 1:39-56
During her visit to Elizabeth, Mary recites the Magnificat
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
The fairest of creatures
Every individual of the human race, male and female, is made in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1:26). We can celebrate Our Lady’s Assumption in light of this basic principle from the creation story. Mostly we are tempted to reverse this process and try to shape God in our own image and likeness. Naturally we have a limited concept of our Creator. How we cling to the notion of a docile God, who will grant our wishes if only we ask him in the right way; or an indulgent God who will turn a blind eye on the double standards in our lives; or a vengeful God, whom we obey only out of fear. To test the quality of our faith we might wonder, Do my ideas resemble Mary’s vision of God, especially as in today’s gospel when she says, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
Mary combines sincere worship of God with deep joy in his presence, in the spirit of the advice given to the early Christians, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). In her Magnificat, Mary is enraptured by God, she does not ask anything for herself, she is not worried about the future; she thinks only of the goodness of God up to the present moment, and of the gratitude she owes to God. In her we have the supreme example of someone totally captivated by the love of God. In this sense, she is the fairest of all God’s creatures.
First of all the saints, she is the handmaid, the willing and joyful servant of the Lord. She lived solely for God and therefore God, who cannot be outdone in generosity, gave her the fullness of grace. Now just as Jesus did not abandon us when he ascended to heaven, so Mary has not been separated from the Christian community by her Assumption, but remains for each of us a sign of hope. We are called, like her, to share in the fullness of Christ’s glory. She is the model and guarantee of all that the believer hopes to become in heaven. We pray today that we too may be found worthy to come to that place in heaven which God has prepared for those who love him.
Key Message:
Jesus consoles others but seeks consolation from His Mother.
Homily on Assumption of Mother Mary:
Mother Mary was very pleasing to the heart of Almighty God!! She became a celebrity as ‘The Queen’ in Heaven. But was She a celebrity during her time on earth? Not at all. She was doing her household chores which God had appointed her to do.
Her life of simplicity, purity, virginity, motherly love, the sacrifice of Her own Son for the whole of humanity – all made Almighty God so happy that as soon as She entered Heaven, He crowned our Mamma Mary as “The Queen of Heaven”!!!
We may be unnoticed, ignored, without social recognition or fame. Mother Mary also had the same kind of life. Yet she was peaceful because Her heart was completely focussed on following God’s word in the small chores that She was doing. Let us also train ourselves to do God’s will in the little chores of our daily life.
Teachings from the life of our loving Mother Mary:
1. Waiting period for our dear Mother Mary:
Mother Mary was born to elderly parents, Father Joachim and Mother Anne. Till Mamma Mary was born, they had no children. The wait was too long but the reward was too sweet!! They had the privilege of becoming grandparents of Jesus and the parents of the Queen of Heaven!!
Are we waiting for something in our life? Are we waiting for the gift of a child for a long time? Think about Joachim and Anne!! They waited in prayer. Be of good cheer. God will satisfy the desires of your heart.
2. Offering of Mother Mary:
Joachim and Anne were waiting for the gift of a child for a vast portion of their lives. Yet they offered their child to God when She was only 3 years of age. It would have certainly pained them to part from their only daughter at their old age. But they fulfilled God’s plan in spite of their own desires.
Can we keep God’s will ahead of our own will? Can we offer our children to be priests and nuns, if the precious gift of God’s calling is on them?
3. Mother Mary’s girlhood:
Mother Mary grew up in communion with God. She was always full of God. In spite of being in a sinful world, She focussed on God and was free from sins. She was happy and praised God. We can also recall God’s goodness joyously in our minds probably for few seconds in the midst of our routine work!!
4. Mother Mary’s sharing ‘her call to be a virgin’ to Saint Joseph:
As we read from the book – “THE POEM OF THE MAN-GOD”, as soon as Mother Mary shares her call to be a virgin to Saint Joseph, Saint Joseph immediately takes the same vow of chastity. Saint Joseph and Mother Mary eagerly offered to live with chastity and virginity for the love of God.
Let us eagerly offer our lives to live according to God’s call.
5. Saint Joseph becomes Mother Mary’s guardian:
Saint Joseph approaches Mother Mary saying “God has given me a Holy Girl. You should see in me a Father and a brother”. Saint Joseph was the guardian and the protector of the ‘Ark of the covenant’.
Can we be the guardians of the women around us?
6. The annunciation of Mother Mary:
The Holy Spirit descends on Mother Mary and Jesus was formed in the womb of Mother Mary. The heart, hands, eyes, mouth, ears, legs, the whole body of our Lord Jesus was formed in the womb of our Mother Mary. The God whose Holiness we cannot comprehend got His human form in Mother Mary. How holy Mother Mary should have been, for Jesus to grow in her?
We will praise Mother Mary, contemplating her Holiness.
7. Mother Mary’s meditation on the life of her child:
How hard it is for a mother to come to know that her child would have to suffer and die a terrible death, to know that He would be called ‘Man of Sorrows’. Mother Mary would have learned Isaiah 53 by heart when she was growing up in the Temple. How hard it would be for her to know that it was Her Son who was portrayed in that chapter? Mother Mary saw the crucifixion of Jesus only once. But innumerable times she would have undergone the same unbearable pain by thinking about His crucifixion. (The pain would have started, even when she was carrying Him).
8. Mother Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth:
After the annunciation of Mother Mary (raising Mother Mary’s status to ‘Mother of God’), Mother Mary remained simple. As soon as she came to know that Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age, she immediately travelled to visit her.
When our financial or social status changes, let us visit the same people whom we were visiting earlier. Let us not be negligent of the humble parts of our society.
9. Birth of Jesus:
Resting on a few thoughts…
1. Jesus was born in poverty:
God wanted Jesus to be born in a manger. It’s surprising that He did not even choose a poor house. Jesus was born in a poor family. So poverty does not mean that God is unhappy with us.
2. Zero complaint life of the Holy Family:
Just like us, there were many difficulties faced by them. But there was no complaint or murmur. They accepted all the difficulties as the will of our Heavenly Father and trusted that His grace would cover them.
Can we follow the same principle too?
10. Presentation of Jesus:
Mother Mary would have least expected the statement “A sword will pierce your heart” during the presentation of Jesus. Tribulation was a promise to Mother Mary. Has anyone else received this severity level of tribulation promise from God?
Since Mother Mary was a chosen vessel, the severity of trials was also deeper. So we should never get annoyed at the tribulations. It just means that we are God’s chosen vessel.
11. Jolly Jesus:
When Jesus got lost, His earthly parents were very worried. But Jesus gave a jolly answer, “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. – Luke 2:49-52.
The Child Jesus was very happy to be in the Temple of God. He was happily immersed in doing the Father’s job, that He forgot to update His earthly parents. Mother Mary and Saint Joseph did not scold Jesus neither did they understand.
We too do not understand why many troubles come into our lives. Sometimes we do scold God. Like Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, even though we do not understand why things are happening to us, let us trust that God is taking care of us. He knows all our sufferings. Finally, He is the only one who can and will help us. So let us trust Him alone.
12. Jesus leaving home to preach the Gospel:
When Jesus left home to preach the good news Mother Mary would have felt both happiness and sorrow.
Similarly, when our children leave home to become priests and nuns, there is both agony and a sense of accomplishment.
While Jesus was preaching the good news, Mother Mary upheld His ministry with her prayers. When our children preach the Gospel, let us contribute immensely to their ministry with our prayers. We can be their prayer partner.
Mother Teresa shared in an interview, “How can you think that I can do all the running about I am currently doing? I have a sick prayer partner, who offers all her pains and prayers for me. I share the credits of my accomplishments with her”.
13. Wedding at Cana:
When Mother Mary is invited, Jesus will also come.
Let us always invite Mother Mary, so that the Son will follow His Mom.
14. The explanation of “Who is my Mother and Brothers?”:
Judas and James were sons of Saint Joseph’s brother, Alpheus, and his wife Mary. According to “The Poem of the Man-God”, Judas and James were left in the care of Mother Mary to be taught by Mother Mary (seeing the wisdom of Jesus). So Judas and James were brought up along with Jesus by our Mother Mary. Hence they were called brothers of Jesus.
Jesus says that whoever is doing God’s work is His mother and brothers. At that point in time, He did not want to take a break and go with them. So He preferred to treat His disciples as His brothers and continues preaching.
15. Jesus meets Mother Mary while carrying the cross:
Mother Mary sees Jesus carrying the cross. His head is crowned with thorns, mouth wounded and split due to blows, eyes, and ears wounded, face covered with mud and spittle, whole body covered with wounds, flesh hanging out from His body here and there, fully bent, swaying through the road not able to walk straight, the list goes on, limitless… Cannot explain His pain in words.
How agonising it would have been for Mother Mary to see Her Holy Son/God in such a state?
16. Jesus makes His Mother Mary the ‘Mother of whole human race’:
Jesus gives us His own Mother. He understands the tender loving heart of His Mother. So whatever our sins are (apart from blaspheming the Holy Spirit), we can run to Her shelter.
Under the cross, Mother Mary offered Her Son for us. In return, Jesus gave us as Her children.
17. Jesus was placed in the lap of Mother Mary:
Mother Mary with great agony looks at the shattered body of Her Son. As She sees His heart, She sees it pierced with a sword. A sword pierces Her heart too.
We are able to live free from our sins since the pierced hearts of Mother Mary and Jesus are continually forgiving us and pleading for us to our Almighty Father.
Jesus performed many miracles to everyone, but did He do any miracle for His own Mother?
Actually, trials are gracious blessings from our Almighty Father!!!
The Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the BVM present us with one human being who was chosen as a vessel of election, to embody the fulness of Redemption as received (not of course as given, as the misguided Co-Redemptrix theorem suggests).
Is this an authentic development of Catholic doctrine? I would say it is, because if Mary did not have these privileges her exalted place in Christian devotion from the start would lack full justification.
The doctrines mean that Mary is fully and pre-emptively redeemed from sin, so that she is the refuge of sinners but not a sinner herself, and that she shares fully in the life of the risen Christ, representing the future of the church and of humanity.
See https://www.theway.org.uk/back/s024Croft.pdf This article seems to mix up Ignatian election, a human choice, with divine election, which is totally gratuitous. Mary may choose her role (as the annunciation story suggests) but she is much more importantly chosen.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Joe, is it significant that there is no scriptural basis for this doctrine nor for the Immaculate Conception, both of which are infallible teachings?
No scriptural basis? Well the divinity of Christ has scriptural basis, and the fact of her motherhood is scriptural, and the special status she had in Luke (the Magnificat) and John 19 and Acts 2 is scriptural. Scripture presents Mary as uniquely chosen by God. That the choice might involve unique graces and privileges (Newman’s Glories of Mary for the sake of her Son) is suggested by Scripture, even without invoking typology and allegory.
Pius XII seems to argue from the sensus fidelium, their imagination kindled by Scripture: https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-
xii_apc_19501101_munificentissimus-deus.html
On a very different plane, there is no scriptural text proclaiming divine simplicity, but it was discerned to be a necessary implication of what Scripture says about God, filling out the intellectual picture, and is proclaimed dogmatically by Lateran IV and Vatican I.
Purgatory has no scriptural basis but was discerned to be necessary to fill out the scriptural message of the life hereafter.
Demythologization and hermeneutics can be applied to the dogmas of 1854 and 1950 (and to all their correlates, such as Original Sin or the way heaven and the risen body are conceived) but I’d say they stand up fairly well.
The late John Muddiman (NT exegete), much missed, was involved in the ARCIC discussion of the two Marian dogmas of 1854 and 1950, which is quite accepting of the Assumption. (Indeed, at T. S. Eliot’s church in Kensington I heard the most full-throated sermon ever on the feast of the Assumption the last time it fell on a Sunday.)
https://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/105263/mary-grace-and-hope-in-christ_english.pdf
https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2005/05/global-launch-of-arcic-document-on-mary.aspx
This C of E response from the General Synod remains dubious about the claim that the dogmas are consonant with Scripture:
https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/gs 1818_Feb11.pdf
The very Eveangelical Archbishop of Canterbury, who prays in tongues, joyfully celebrates the Assumption along with Roman Catholics: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/do-anglicans-celebrate-the-assumption-of-mary/
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Joe, for once, sadly, you scholarship does not do it for me. But, thank you all the same.