Friday, August 14, 2015

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Mass during the Day


“Assumption of the Virgin “
by Andrea Del Sarto, 1529

Catechism Links*
CCC 411, 966-971, 974-975, 2853: Mary, the New Eve, assumed into heaven
CCC 773, 829, 967, 972: Mary, eschatological icon of the Church
CCC 2673-2679: at prayer with Mary


Background on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary [1]



Commentary:

 
Commentary on 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 Christ being born of Mary and recalls her flight to Egypt. The dragon (which is the first one to be depicted) represents the secular governments at the time – Herod and Rome. The final verse of the passage proclaims Jesus as the Christ – “his Anointed One.”

CCC: Rv 12 1138
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R. (10bc) The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Commentary on Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16

The queen identified in this passage is Jerusalem, central to the Jewish faith. Offered here, we see her (Jerusalem) as an analog to Mary who brought forth the Christ.

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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:20-27

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.  He begins speaking of Jesus as “firstfruits”, which in the culture of the time was that offering from the harvest which consecrated the entire harvest.  In this case, his own sacrifice is the salvation of all those who have suffered death in his name.  Death entered the world through Adam and through his sin, the gates of heaven slammed shut.  Through Jesus own resurrection, he was victorious over the final enemy; death itself and once more flung open the heavenly gates – hence we believe his has sovereignty over the living and the dead.

CCC: 1 Cor 15:20-22 655; 1 Cor 15:20 632, 991; 1 Cor 15:21-22 411; 1 Cor 15:24-28 2855; 1 Cor 15:24 668; 1 Cor 15:26 1008; 1 Cor 15:27-28 668
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Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Commentary on Lk 1:39-56

The Gospel selection from St. Luke gives us the story of Mary’s journey from Nazareth, over the mountains to Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to visit her cousin St. Elizabeth who was also with child. St. Elizabeth’s greeting gives us substance for the “Hail Mary” and Mary’s response is the great Canticle of Mary which exemplifies her faith and faithfulness, appropriate for the Mother of Jesus who is the Christ.

Mary’s meeting with Elizabeth follows the annunciation by Gabriel that she would carry the Son of God which proclaims the coming of the Lord and the faith of Mary before the nativity event. We note that Elizabeth is first to identify Jesus as Lord as she says” …how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” She not only professes the identity of the infant but foreshadows Mary’s leadership standing, elevating the stature of her much younger cousin with reverence. Elizabeth continues her praise of Mary by establishing that her (Mary’s) faith had allowed her to accept even the incredible role God had offered her.

In response we hear Mary’s humility as she gives us the Magnificat “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior...” This opening phrase establishes that the Blessed Mother gives herself to God eternally (her eternal self -Soul) and completely (the very core of her being -Spirit). What follows in her great song is an abject expression of faith in the Father’s omnipotence and her own humility and awe in the face of his request of her – to carry God’s only Son.

CCC: Lk 1:41 523, 717, 2676; Lk 1:43 448, 495, 2677; Lk 1:45 148, 2676; Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097; Lk 1:48 148, 971, 2676, 2676; Lk 1:49 273, 2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465; Lk 1:54-55 706; Lk 1:55 422
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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
 

*Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[1] The picture is “Assumption of the Virgin “ by Andrea Del Sarto, 1529
[2] ALTRE
 
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