Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Scripture:
Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
Reflection:
Today we lift our eyes to the Heavens as Our Lady is assumed into Heaven mind, body and spirit on this Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day we hear some of the most eloquent words of Scripture as they appear in the first Chapter of Luke, in the Magnificat or Canticle of Mary where we here this eloquent expression of gratitude, humility and the mission of Our Lady. As always she points our attention away from her and directly to Jesus.
It comes to us in four main parts or themes that can be lessons to us all as we live our lives here on Earth with our eyes on the Heavens. First and foremost Mary expresses her gratitude to God as we hear, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord”, then she praises God for his Glory in, “the Almighty has done great things for me”. In her humility she compares how God deals with the proud and the humble, “he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
Finally we hear that all the ancient prophecies to the Jews are now being fulfilled in the Messiah in her womb, “He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy,” The great poet Henry Wordsworth called Our Lady, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast” in his poem the Virgin. So let us turn our tainted nature to this great example of virtue in our quest for our own resurrection with our solitary boast and her son, our Savior!
Deacon James Anderson is the Administrator at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.