20220815 THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY IS THE CROWN OF THE CHURCH’S FAITH
15 August, 2022, Monday, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First reading |
Apocalypse 11:19,12:1-6,10 © |
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman adorned with the sun
The sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and dropped them to the earth, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was having the child, so that he could eat it as soon as it was born from its mother. The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready.
Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 44(45):10-12,16 © |
On your right stands the queen, in garments of gold.
The daughters of kings are among your loved ones.
On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words:
forget your own people and your father’s house.
On your right stands the queen, in garments of gold.
So will the king desire your beauty:
He is your lord, pay homage to him.
They are escorted amid gladness and joy;
they pass within the palace of the king.
On your right stands the queen, in garments of gold.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 15:20-26 © |
Christ will be brought to life as the first-fruits and then those who belong to him
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Mary has been taken up to heaven;
all the choirs of angels are rejoicing.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 1:39-56 © |
The Almighty has done great things for me
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY IS THE CROWN OF THE CHURCH’S FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 11:19; 12:1-6,10; 1 COR 15:20-26; LUKE 1:39-56]
The first reading from the book of Revelation gives us St John’s vision of the woman giving birth on one hand and how the huge red dragon sought to kill the baby and the woman. The latter is the symbol first of Israel, the people of God, and then of the Church. The dragon is a symbol of the evil Roman empire that sought to destroy Christianity and demanded all to worship the Emperor. The child is Christ who was to rule the world. This book was written to assure the faithful of final victory, the triumph of Christ who was taken into heaven and His Church over the Roman Empire. “The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron scepter, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God and all authority for his Christ.” Hence, the Feast of the Assumption begins by underscoring the victory of Christ over the enemies of the Church.
But the woman that is used by St John is not just the symbol of the Church, it is secondarily a symbol of Mary as well. Hence, for St John and for the Church, the woman is also seen as the mother of our Lord and by extension, the mother of the Church. We remember how St John in his gospel used the word “woman” for Mary at the wedding at Cana; and the word, “woman” at the foot of the cross. Because Mary was a close associate of her Son in bringing about the redemption of the world, by her fiat, her obedience to God’s will, Mary too rightly shares the victory of her Son. Evil has no hold over her because of Christ’s protection, not because of her merits. It is purely the work of grace.
Indeed, in the tradition of the Church, Mary’s assumption of body and soul into heaven was already expounded by the holy fathers and doctors of the Church throughout the centuries. In their sermons and speeches, they underscored the role of Mary and how it was appropriate to conclude that because Mary shared so closely the salvific work of our Lord, she who suffered at the foot of His cross would also at the end of her life, share the triumph of her Son over death, and so did not experience bodily decay and assumed into glory. They described this special privilege given to Mary as a fitting gift of God, not because she merited it but because God wanted to honour her.
Indeed, as St Paul wrote in today’s second reading. “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him.” Mary belonged to Christ and was one with her Son in doing God’s will. Fittingly so, she followed her Son in being glorified after her life on earth. If Mary was preserved first from sin and then from bodily decay, it was by the grace of God, through the sacrificial death of her Son. The Assumption of Mary is a corollary of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Since Mary was preserved from sin and the power of the Evil One, it was fitting that she would immediately be glorified at the end of her life, both body and soul.
In this way, Mary as a creature anticipates for us all, our glorification, both body and soul at the end of the world. She is therefore our hope, our joy, our glory and our crown. The Church therefore is confident that we will follow Mary as well at the end of time to share in Christ’s resurrection. This is why, the Church is so happy to make this day a solemnity because she is our hope. At the same time, the Church wants us to look at her and follow her example so that we can arrive where she is, with the Lord and our Heavenly Father when the final judgment arrives.
However, we must make clear that just as her Immaculate Conception was a grace of God, in other words, the work of God, so too was her Assumption. We must not speak of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption as something owed to her because of what she did for Christ and for the Church in giving us Jesus. These are purely the gifts of God and the work of God in Mary. St Paul also wrote, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:4,5,8-10)
We too must rely on the grace of God. Like Mary, we must also say, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.” Indeed, with gratitude, we must recognize the gifts that the Lord has bestowed on us. With humility, we receive His gifts in life with gratitude, knowing that He wants us to bless others with the blessings we have received from Him. That was what Mary did upon being named as the mother of the Messiah. Instead of dwelling in her glory and honour, she was forgetful of her new status but immediately focused on Elizabeth her cousin whom the angel revealed to her to be in her sixth month of pregnancy. “Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Like her, we must bring Jesus to others just as Mary did to Elizabeth and John.
We, too, must cooperate with God’s grace like Mary. Whilst it is true that the holiness of Mary is the work of grace, Mary also responded generously to what the Lord asked of her. She was not just obedient to God’s will, but she recognized that she needed to respond to His love and mercy. Mary said, “Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him. He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy – according to the promise he made to our ancestors – of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Receiving His grace requires humility and gratitude. Otherwise, we will not be able to receive His grace and even if we receive them, it will be received in vain, without any real transformation in our lives.
So today, as we celebrate the Assumption of Mary’s body and soul into heaven, let us raise our eyes towards heaven, knowing that this is where our destiny lies. Where Mary is, there we will be. Let us not be short-sighted in living our life on earth as if everything ends here. We do not even content to hope that our soul lives forever after our death. We believe in the resurrection of the body as well. God will transfigure our body. We will meet each other once again face to face and share in the joy of communion of the saints. In the meantime, let us put our sins under the feet of Jesus. St Paul says, “For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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