Gospel: Lk 1, 39 – 56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
Homily
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The Feast which we celebrate today, The Solemnity of the Assumption is so important in the mind of the church that it supersedes the celebration of Sunday. It is important therefore for us to understand the reasoning behind the Church proclaiming this event, described nowhere in Scripture, as of such importance.
It is true that this event is described nowhere in Sacred Scripture but it is important to remember the faith of the Church is built not only on Scripture but on tradition, i.e. the accumulated memories, sayings and living actions passed on faithfully from one generation to the next until we receive them and in our turn pass them on. From the earliest days of the Church the tradition passed on is that the Virgin Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven. It would seem logical to that age in which philosophy was so important, that if death is the result of sin, then the Virgin Mary, who was sinless would not experienced death. At the end of her earthly life she was taken up body and soul into heaven. In fact in the eastern churches this feast is often called the feast of the “dormition” of Mary or the feast of Mary’s falling asleep. Suffice it to say that this tradition was passed on until it was proclaimed a dogma of faith by Pope Pius XII.
What then does this Gospel reading say to us? I remember as a little boy around Christmas time when all the elders of the family would be gathered together how often they would sit and reminisce about those who had gone before and the experiences which they had had with these persons. Very often this reminiscing would end in the recognition of the qualities which stood out in the person being remembered. The same dynamic is in operation in this gospel passage. Mary and Elizabeth have had, individually and together, very profound experiences of God’s power and they begin to reminisce about their experiences of God. The reminiscing of Mary and Elizabeth is summed up for us by St. Luke in the Magnificat which is not a prayer about Mary. It is a prayerful description of the God who saves. He has saved both Mary and Elizabeth from disgrace; Mary because by all earthly indicators she was unfaithful and could be stoned to death; Elizabeth from the curse of barrenness. “From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.” They sing of a God who is forever faithful to his people and to his promises; “He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”
In the feast of the Assumption we celebrate this fidelity of God to his promises; his fidelity to Mary who said “yes” and who remained faithful to her “yes”. For this fidelity here on earth, she received what all who remain faith to their “yes” to God receive; pain, joys, loss and finding, deaths and risings. This is what Jesus received; this is what the Virgin Mary received. This is what all who remain faithful will receive on earth. After the Resurrection however, Jesus, son of God and second person of the Trinity, ascended by his own power into heaven. Mary however and much more we ourselves have no right to heaven as Jesus had. We do not ascend to heaven by our own power. We depend on the fidelity of God to his promises. Mary, because she was sinless and did not suffer the consequences of sin was assumed into heaven by a faithful God. You and I, if we are judged to be faithful, will suffer death, the consequence of our personal sin but like Mary because of the fidelity of God, we will be taken up to heaven to spend our eternity with all those, beginning with Jesus and Mary, who have been found faithful. This is the belief which all the saints had. This is what you and I are called to believe. This is what the Feast of the Assumption teaches us.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, Mary was assumed into heaven because of your fidelity to your promises. She was faithful but you were also faithful. We do not expect to be assumed into heaven. We understand that we must die but Father Give us the grace of faithful living so that when we do die we may be found faithful to the “Yes” of our baptism and confirmation. Give us also the grace to believe that You will be faithful to your promise and take us with you to heaven. We ask this through the intercession of your Son Jesus and the prayer of Mary, our Mother. Amen
