May the celebration of the Assumption of our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary engender in us the assured hope of reaching heaven with our bodies and souls, and like Mary, make us be grateful to God in chanting the magnificat in words and deeds of our daily life.
DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Rev 11, 19a; 12.1-6a.10a-b; 1 Cor. 15,20-26; Luke 1, 39-56: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Year B; 15th August 2021)
Today the liturgy speaks to us of the Assumption of Mary, where she was raised to the glory of heaven in body and soul. To express this mystery, it uses three biblical texts. The first, taken from the book of Revelation, speaks of the grandiose sign of a woman clothed with the sun. The second, taken from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, explains that the resurrection takes place according to a certain order. The Gospel does not speak of Mary’s assumption. This Assumption event was not mentioned in any part of the New Testament. The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth was, however, narrated. It is an occasion in which Mary expresses the sentiments of the Magnificat that was, certainly, in her mind on the great day of her assumption.
It is significant that Mary sings her Magnificat on an occasion of great brotherly/sisterly charity. She received the announcement that she would become the mother of the Son of God, but knowing that Elizabeth, her relative, was expecting a child despite her advanced age and that, therefore, needed help, she was prompted by divine charity to visit her. Contact with Mary is an opportunity for great graces. The Gospel tells us that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was full of the Holy Spirit. In this communication of thanks, Mary expresses her feelings of gratitude and love full of gratitude to God, who has done great things in her.
The Magnificat is a prophetic song, because it announces, in a mysterious way, the exaltation of Mary herself in the event of the assumption. At that moment she was able to proclaim, with an even stronger exultation: My soul magnifies the Lord [... ]. The Almighty has done great things in me. This song of Mary truly expresses her immense gratitude for the work that God has done in her. Already, at the moment of Jesus' birth she could say: The Almighty has done great things in me. On Calvary, despite the great pains caused by the death of her son, she was able to say: The Almighty did great things in me, because, from there, she became the mother of Jesus' disciples, mother in spirit. Finally, Mary was able to express her joy and gratitude in a definitive and perfect way at the moment of her assumption. Then she could truly say: my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour, because he has looked upon the humility of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. Great things has done in me by the Almighty and Holy is his name. On the day of the Assumption, year after year, all generations proclaim Mary's beatitude, her great joy and her gratitude to the Lord. The assumption is a privilege that God has granted to Mary. In fact, He could not let the body that had received his Son and provided him with flesh and blood he needed to carry out the redemption of the world be abandoned to corruption. Jesus came to take back his mother after her dormition, as they say, to fully associate her with his glory in heaven. And from there Mary continues her maternal work in favor of the Church.
In the second reading, Paul speaks of the resurrection. He affirms that as everyone dies in Adam, all will receive life in Christ. And he specifies: Each, however, in his order: first Christ, who is the first fruit; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. We can further specify, by saying that even among those who belong to Christ there is an order. Mary, so closely associated with the life, passion and death of Christ, deserves precedence over all, and her assumption is the sign of this precedence.
The first reading, taken from the Apocalypse, refers to a sign that appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun. The author of the Apocalypse does not speak directly of Mary’s assumption. In fact, he says of this woman clothed in the sun that she was pregnant and was crying out for the pains and labor of childbirth. However, he gives us a description of Mary’s glory with this grandiose image: A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. The artists have endeavoured to represent the Madonna with these wonderful elements. The text does not name Mary; he speaks of the fight with the dragon, which represents the devil, the power of evil, and says: The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, to devour the newborn child. This makes us think of the episode of the massacre of the Innocents by Herod. Baby Jesus was being searched for to be killed. It is a diabolical event. But God protects his incarnate Son, who must bring about the redemption of all men in the fullness of his humanity. The woman gives birth to a male child, destined to govern all nations. Here we have a description of the Messiah, whereby this text was applied directly to Mary. But it can also evoke the relationship between the Messiah and the chosen people, so we can say, in a certain sense, that the holy nation was also the mother of the Messiah. Mary appears here as an occasion for divine triumph, because the Lord protected her. We read in the text: Now the salvation, the strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ has been completed. All this took place in Mary’s assumption. The feast of the Assumption brings great joy to our hearts. We are happy because Mary was not only preserved from corruption, but now she is also glorified with her son and God. At the same time we know that in heaven there is a very powerful person who intercedes for us. Mary is in heaven to welcome our humble and trusting prayers, and obtain our fulfilment.
Returning to today's Gospel text, we can say that Mary assumed into heaven does not stop visiting the earth. The Visitation marks her destiny in a very lasting way. We know that she has appeared many times, to give Christians the confidence to be guided to God in a very sure way. Mary comes to help the weak, heal the sick, invites everyone to conversion, and gives us the hope that in the end we will be able to reach her in heaven. Glorified Mary does not abandon us, on the contrary we can always feel her very close and this instills joy and confidence in our hearts. +John I. Okoye
(graphic by Chukwubike)
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