Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The feast of the Assumption of Mary is a very interesting feast. First of all, compared to the other great feast of the Church, this is a feast of modern times. This doctrine was defined by Pope Pius XII only as late as November 1950. Second, this is a non-biblical feast in the sense that there is no biblical data to support the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. The first reading from Revelation used for this feast, for example, was not originally written in reference to Mary. The woman rescued from the dragon is the Church. This passage is about the liberation and redemption of a persecuted church. Only in retrospect does the church apply this scripture passage to Mary. Third, except for the virginal birth of Jesus, all Marian feasts are historical developments. Whether it is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, or the feast of the Assumption, at some point, the church discerned that Mary’s life, her faith, and what God accomplished in, through, and for her, need to be integral to the life of the church. Thus, here we are celebrating the feast of the Assumption.
Here are my three points for today. My third point will have three practical implications.
Mary – Model for Humanity
If we want to understand what God really intended when God made the first man and woman, then all we have to do is look at Mary. In Mary we see the image in which God created the human race. When the first man and woman sinned, God promised that it would be through a woman that God will crush the head of the ancient serpent. In Mary we see the obedience, the cooperation, the goodness, the holiness in which the first man and woman should have lived.
Mary – the Human Destiny
When we see in Mary the image in which God created the human race, we also see how far humanity has diverged from that original image. Humanity’s disobedience, rebellion, capacity for evil and self-destruction tells us that human beings can use their God-given freedom and derail God’s plan and vision for humanity. But the assumption of Mary tells us that God has not given up on humanity. God’s original vision for the human race to live in the garden of Eden is still open to humanity. If we can model our lives on Mary, then Mary’s destiny is ours as well. One day we will be where Mary is.
Modern Day Implications of the Feast of the Assumption
Today’s first reading begins with a reference to the “Ark of the Covenant” (Rev 11:19). The original Ark was made of wood and it contained the two tablets and pieces of manna. The original Ark has been lost. To this date it has not been found. In the Catholic tradition, Mary is called the New Ark of the New Covenant. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son, and that “the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). Mary carried within her the Savior of the world – Jesus, was the New Covenant of God. We honor Mary, because she is the New Ark of the New Covenant.
Here are my three practical implications:
- Today, as we honor Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant, for a moment we pause to think of ourselves as the ark of the New Covenant. At every Eucharist, we receive the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ that we receive is the same body that was in Mary’s womb. At every Eucharist we commune with Jesus, the Son of God – body, soul, and divinity. The implication of receiving the Body of Christ is simple – that we live in the same way that Mary lived – in holiness, in purity of heart, in obedience to the Lord, and discerning and accomplishing God’s will.
- Let us reflect a little more deeply about the Ark. When Mary delivered Jesus, and he walked the face of the earth, in one sense, the whole earth is now the Ark of the New Covenant. In other words, the earth is holy ground. The earth held the same Body that was in Mary’s womb. These days, the earth, God’s creation, the ground on which Jesus walked, is being exploited and destroyed beyond repair. In his encyclical Laudato Si Pope Francis says, “The earth now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her” (LS, 2). To honor Mary is to honor the earth into which she entrusted her Son. To dishonor the earth is the dishonor Mary, who carried Christ in her womb and by entrusting him to the world, sanctified the earth and humanity.
- Finally, the Assumption of Mary shows us the dignity of every man and woman. God considered a human person worthy enough to carry the Son of God. This has elevated the dignity of the human race. To honor Mary is to honor every man and woman made in the image and likeness of God. These men and women don’t live far away in some foreign land. They live in our own homes - husband and wife, parents and children, the elderly, the ill, the weak, and the struggling. We cannot disrespect them, abuse them, to ill-treat them and then also come to church and honor Mary. The two don’t go together. When we respect, uphold, and cherish the dignity of every human person, we honor Mary and we honor God who created every human person.
When we receive the Eucharist today, once more we are reminded the image in which God has created us. We are the temples of God – ark of the new covenant. Let us imitate Mary, so that we may share in her destiny – the destiny that God has promised us. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph