Background on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary[1]
Readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
In this selection from the Revelation of St. John, we see the image of the Virgin Mary about to give birth to the Messiah. This portrayal, with images taken from Genesis and symbols of the twelve tribes of Israel, shows the Jesus being born of Mary and the Hebrew Nation. The dragon (which is the first one to be depicted) represents the secular governments at the time – Herod and Rome.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen identified in this passage is Jerusalem, central to the Jewish faith. Offered here, we see her (Jerusalem) as analog to Mary who brought forth the Christ.
Reading II 1 Cor 15:20-27
As part of the tableau painted on the Feast of the Assumption, we find St. Paul reminding us that Christ is the King, in heaven and on earth, and that all things (including his Mother who will be Queen of Heaven) are subject to him.
Gospel Lk 1:39-56
Following the Annunciation of Christ’s birth by Gabriel and Mary’s acceptance of God’s invitation, we find her going to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also with child (John the Baptist). Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, will already have been stricken dumb because of his unbelief (a silence broken only at the naming of his son). The women meet and we hear two of the great professions of faith.
The first of this is by Elizabeth as she names Mary theotokis, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Mary’s response is the Canticle of Mary or the Magnificat.
Reflection:
As Disciples of Christ, we take this day to reflect on the singular honor bestowed on the Mother of God, Mary. We believe, as an article of our faith that, because of her pure faith that accepted God’s will so lovingly, she was taken bodily to heaven. There she assumes a place of honor above all the saints as Queen of Heaven.
This understanding of our faith is arrived at through deduction and tradition rather than Holy Scripture. Yes, we see today the holiness of the Mother of God. We see how she humbly accepts the servant role with which she is honored by God. We hear the imagery with which St. John paints her as Queen in Heaven and we can see in the Psalms, much as we see signs of Christ, portents of the Mother’s role.
While we see all the signs in Holy Scripture of Mary’s special stature and reward, there is nothing explicit about her dormition (but then there is nothing explicit explaining the Trinity either, our understanding of the Triune God was also deduced by prayer and revelation in the early Church) there are written works that speak of the event we celebrate. Two excellent resources are The Assumption of Mary from the Apocrypha and Cyril of Jerusalem, Homily on the Dormition.
What is important for us on this holy day is to remember that Mary, in her life, gave us an example of the servant’s role surpassed only by her Son who is the Son of God. She accepted the potential humiliation and death possible for an unwed mother of her time. She did not look for a place of honor and showed us that her greatest honor was also her greatest sorrow as she stood at the foot of the Cross.
We hear in her song today all the reasons she was accorded the singular honor of being taken bodily to heaven as tradition holds. The truly important part of this celebration is for us to see her example of faith in God and faith in her son, Jesus, and to attempt to follow that example. (O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!).
Pax
[1] The picture used today is Assumption of the Virgin, by Juan Martin Cabezalero, 1665-70
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
In this selection from the Revelation of St. John, we see the image of the Virgin Mary about to give birth to the Messiah. This portrayal, with images taken from Genesis and symbols of the twelve tribes of Israel, shows the Jesus being born of Mary and the Hebrew Nation. The dragon (which is the first one to be depicted) represents the secular governments at the time – Herod and Rome.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen identified in this passage is Jerusalem, central to the Jewish faith. Offered here, we see her (Jerusalem) as analog to Mary who brought forth the Christ.
Reading II 1 Cor 15:20-27
As part of the tableau painted on the Feast of the Assumption, we find St. Paul reminding us that Christ is the King, in heaven and on earth, and that all things (including his Mother who will be Queen of Heaven) are subject to him.
Gospel Lk 1:39-56
Following the Annunciation of Christ’s birth by Gabriel and Mary’s acceptance of God’s invitation, we find her going to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also with child (John the Baptist). Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, will already have been stricken dumb because of his unbelief (a silence broken only at the naming of his son). The women meet and we hear two of the great professions of faith.
The first of this is by Elizabeth as she names Mary theotokis, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Mary’s response is the Canticle of Mary or the Magnificat.
Reflection:
As Disciples of Christ, we take this day to reflect on the singular honor bestowed on the Mother of God, Mary. We believe, as an article of our faith that, because of her pure faith that accepted God’s will so lovingly, she was taken bodily to heaven. There she assumes a place of honor above all the saints as Queen of Heaven.
This understanding of our faith is arrived at through deduction and tradition rather than Holy Scripture. Yes, we see today the holiness of the Mother of God. We see how she humbly accepts the servant role with which she is honored by God. We hear the imagery with which St. John paints her as Queen in Heaven and we can see in the Psalms, much as we see signs of Christ, portents of the Mother’s role.
While we see all the signs in Holy Scripture of Mary’s special stature and reward, there is nothing explicit about her dormition (but then there is nothing explicit explaining the Trinity either, our understanding of the Triune God was also deduced by prayer and revelation in the early Church) there are written works that speak of the event we celebrate. Two excellent resources are The Assumption of Mary from the Apocrypha and Cyril of Jerusalem, Homily on the Dormition.
What is important for us on this holy day is to remember that Mary, in her life, gave us an example of the servant’s role surpassed only by her Son who is the Son of God. She accepted the potential humiliation and death possible for an unwed mother of her time. She did not look for a place of honor and showed us that her greatest honor was also her greatest sorrow as she stood at the foot of the Cross.
We hear in her song today all the reasons she was accorded the singular honor of being taken bodily to heaven as tradition holds. The truly important part of this celebration is for us to see her example of faith in God and faith in her son, Jesus, and to attempt to follow that example. (O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!).
Pax
[1] The picture used today is Assumption of the Virgin, by Juan Martin Cabezalero, 1665-70
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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