The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Homily: Monday, Solemnity of Assumption of BVM – August 15, 2011                                

1^st Reading: Revelation 11:19a-12:1-6a,10a – A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet

Gospel: Luke 1:39-56 – My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

Doctor Marcellino D’Ambrosio, a Catholic professor and theologian recounted that he once asked a college theology class if anyone could explain the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary.  A student replied, “yeah, that’s the teaching whereby the Catholic Church “assumes” that Mary is in heaven.

And while the church certainly puts more prayer, thought, and reflection as well as guidance by the Holy Spirit into its teaching before declaring something a dogma, it does seem very natural for us to believe that God would honor Mary in a special way.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was proclaimed as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950 and has been held as a truth believed by Christians since the early days of the Church.  The Eastern Rite Church celebrates the “Dormition” (falling asleep) of Mary, whereas we in the Western or Roman Rite celebrate the Assumption of Mary.  The truth we believe is that having completed the course of her earthly life, Mary was taken up to heaven body and soul by God, because He willed that her body should not suffer decay or corruption. 

There is no recorded account in scripture, and there are no witnesses to this event mentioned.  It is a truth arrived at by logic, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Mary, who was chosen by God, to be born without sin, so that she could bear His son,  Mary, who retained her virginity while giving birth and throughout her life, was set apart from all other creatures.   She who remained faithful to God to the very end was now given the highest place of honor in heaven alongside her Son.  In all these events, the Church sees the wisdom of God in that she who became the mother of us all, and the symbol of the Church, that He would honor her in this way.

The Assumption of Mary also gives us hope that we too have a chance one day to be in heaven body and soul.

In the Gospel today, we hear of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth.  Mary is pregnant with Jesus, and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist.  Elizabeth greets Mary with the pronouncement, “who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  And Mary responds with the beautiful hymn we know as the Magnificat.  “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”   Mary provides an example for us of true humility and trust in God.  She models the behavior and disposition we should all have.

Just as she brought Jesus to Elizabeth and to John, we too are to bring Christ to others, not as a chore to be carried out, but instead we are to do it with a spirit of great joy.  By our words and our actions, people should be able to see our souls proclaiming the greatness of the Lord and our spirits rejoicing that God is our savior.

   Mary leads the way and provides the model we are all to follow.  We too are called to lift up the lowly, because that is what God does for us.  There are so many people who have been beaten down by the struggles of life.  What can we do to lift them up?  We are to fill the hungry with good things because that is what God does for us. How might we feed the hungry today?  There are certainly enough soup kitchens that can use any monetary or volunteer help we can provide.   We are also reminded that there are tens of thousands starving in Somalia.  Their spirits as well as their bodies are hungry.  How can we help fill them with not only good food but with hope and consolation?    Mary’s humble acceptance of God’s will provides us with the example of how our souls can magnify the Lord and she continues provide the example from her place of honor in heaven.

Because of her Immaculate Conception, and the favor she was shown by God, there might be the temptation to think, that it was easy for her.  Of course her soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.  Of course her spirit rejoices in God, she was born without sin.  Yes she was born without sin, but she was not immune to human feelings and human failings.  She was still a target of temptation for the devil.  She still needed to trust in God during very difficult times of her life.  Think about it.  She and Joseph had to flee from a maniacal King Herod who wanted to kill her infant son.  Travel to Egypt in those days was no picnic.  It was a long distance, in which Mary would have to have held Jesus while riding on a donkey, while Joseph kept a watchful eye for wild animals or bandits who might attack them.

Mary had to endure the ridicule of her home town when they found out she was pregnant.  She had to endure the ridicule of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes toward her Son as he went about his public ministry.    And she had to watch helplessly as her Son was brutally tortured, and hung on a cross to die.  Mary was without, sin but not without feeling.  She suffered greatly.  And it would have been natural for her to question or to doubt God’s plan, but her faith never wavered.   And it is natural for us, during those times in our life, when our crosses feel like they are too heavy to carry to imagine having a joyful spirit or to feel close to God in our soul.   During those times, we should turn to Mary who can understand those feelings because of what she has endured. 

            It is natural for us to assume that Mary is in heaven and it is natural for us to assume that God would grant her the honor of taking her up body and soul.   The word assumption comes from another word “assumere” which means to take to oneself.  In the Assumption, Jesus takes Mary, body and soul to himself, to be with Him.  This is the hope that we all have, if only our spirits proclaim the greatness of the Lord, and our souls rejoice in God our savior.