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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings,08-15-12, Solemnity, Assumption-Blessed Virgin Mary/Vigil
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 08-15-12 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 08/14/2012 9:19:46 PM PDT by Salvation

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To: All
 
Catholic
Almanac:
Wednesday, August 15
Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate the taking of Our Lady body and soul into heaven. In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption a Dogma of the Church to be believed by all Catholics.

21 posted on 08/15/2012 3:57:56 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: August 15, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Ordinary Time: August 15th

Solemnity of the Assumption

Old Calendar: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Dormition of Our Lady (Eastern Rite); St. Tarcisius, martyr, (Hist)

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption. Thus he solemnly proclaimed that the belief whereby the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the close of her earthly life, was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, definitively forms part of the deposit of faith, received from the Apostles. To avoid all that is uncertain the Pope did not state either the manner or the circumstances of time and place in which the Assumption took place — only the fact of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, is the matter of the definition.

Please see this special section on The Assumption.

Historically today is the feast of St. Tarcisius, a young martyr of the Eucharist.


The Assumption
Now toward the end of the summer season, at a time when fruits are ripe in the gardens and fields, the Church celebrates the most glorious "harvest festival" in the Communion of Saints. Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, Mary, the most precious fruit which has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into the granary of heaven.

— Pius Parsch

The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated.

Its origin is lost in those days when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). By then it had been a pagan city for two centuries, ever since Emperor Hadrian (76-138) had leveled it around the year 135 and rebuilt it as Aelia Capitolina in honor of Jupiter.

For 200 years, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city, and the sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples.

After the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 336, the sacred sites began to be restored and memories of the life of Our Lord began to be celebrated by the people of Jerusalem. One of the memories about his mother centered around the "Tomb of Mary," close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived.

On the hill itself was the "Place of Dormition," the spot of Mary's "falling asleep," where she had died. The "Tomb of Mary" was where she was buried.

At this time, the "Memory of Mary" was being celebrated. Later it was to become our feast of the Assumption.

For a time, the "Memory of Mary" was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God.

Soon the name was changed to the "Assumption of Mary," since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.

That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.)

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."

In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: "Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth."

All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Savior.

The Assumption completes God's work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over.

The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended.

In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God.

Excerpted from Fr. Clifford Stevens in Catholic Heritage

Things to Do:



St. Tarcisius
Tarcisius was a twelve-year-old acolyte during one of the fierce Roman persecutions of the third century, probably during that of Valerian. Each day, from a secret meeting place in the catacombs where Christians gathered for Mass, a deacon would be sent to the prisons to carry the Eucharist to those Christians condemned to die. At one point, there was no deacon to send and so St. Tarcisius, an acolyte, was sent carrying the "Holy Mysteries" to those in prison.

On the way, he was stopped by boys his own age who were not Christians but knew him as a playmate and lover of games. He was asked to join their games, but this time he refused and the crowd of boys noticed that he was carrying something. Somehow, he was also recognized as a Christian, and the small gang of boys, anxious to view the Christian "Mysteries," became a mob and turned upon Tarcisius with fury. He went down under the blows, and it is believed that a fellow Christian drove off the mob and rescued the young acolyte.

The mangled body of Tarcisius was carried back to the catacombs, but the boy died on the way from his injuries. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus, and his relics are claimed by the church of San Silvestro in Capite.

In the fourth century, Pope St. Damasus wrote a poem about this "boy-martyr of the Eucharist" and says that, like another St. Stephen, he suffered a violent death at the hands of a mob rather than give up the Sacred Body to "raging dogs." His story became well known when Cardinal Wiseman made it a part of his novel Fabiola, in which the story of the young acolyte is dramatized and a very moving account given of his martyrdom and death.

Tarcisius, one of the patron saints of altar boys, has always been an example of youthful courage and devotion, and his story was one that was told again and again to urge others to a like heroism in suffering for their faith. In the Passion of Pope Stephen, written in the sixth century, Tarcisius is said to be an acolyte of the pope himself and, if so, this explains the great veneration in which he was held and the reason why he was chosen for so difficult a mission.

Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens


22 posted on 08/15/2012 4:05:14 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 1:39-56

The Assumption of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. (Luke 1:46)

Have you ever noticed how the world tries to convince us that noth­ing is ever good enough? If we’re unhappy at work, we should just leave and get another job. Even if we like our jobs, we should still be searching for better opportunities. If we’re having problems with our mar­riage, we should simply call it a loss and go look for another spouse—or a life partner.

The problem with this approach is that we will never find content­ment. What we’re really looking for is something that can’t be found on earth—perfection.

Mary certainly didn’t find per­fection. She had to endure her neighbors’ suspicions when her preg­nancy began to show, and again when she had to give birth to her child in a stable. She and Joseph cer­tainly weren’t the wealthiest couple in Nazareth, and life must have been a challenge after Joseph died.

Yet from her words, we can see that Mary was as grateful as any human being ever has been. That’s because her gratitude was for the awesome work that God would accomplish through her. By simply saying “yes” to God’s plan, she could participate in the salvation of the whole human race!

We can achieve much in this life, and of course, God wants us to aim high. But like Mary, we also have to recognize when God has given us something great, and thank him for it. As Paul said: “What do you pos­sess that you have not received?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). The most pre­cious of God’s gifts, and the one that is nothing but pure gift, is eternal life. At least once a day, we should stop and think about the fact that Jesus died for each of us so that we could live with him forever.

Today, try to make Mary’s words your own: “My spirit rejoices in God my savior.” If you are angry at some­one, or if you are unhappy with your situation, or if someone has hurt you recently, believe that Jesus is still with you, offering you divine wisdom— and even more importantly, offering you a place in his eternal kingdom. Ask him to give you his perspective on your situation—it is sure to be a hopeful one!

“Lord, I put aside my worries, and I rejoice in you! I praise you for all that you have done for me!”

Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10 Psalm 45:10-12, 16 1 Corinthians 15:20-27


23 posted on 08/15/2012 4:10:51 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
A Christian Pilgrim

MARY’S ASSUMPTION: THE FULFILMENT OF ALL GOD’S PROMISES

(A biblical reflection on the feast of THE OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY – Sunday, 12 August 2012) 

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:39-56 

First Reading: Rev 11:19;12:1-6,10; Psalms: Ps 45:10-12,16; Second Reading: 1Cor 15:20-26

The Scripture Text

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has regarded the low estate of His hand maiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm, He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home. (Lk 1:39-56 RSV) 

In Mary’s assumption, we can see the fulfilment of all God’s promises – first to Mary and then to all of God’s people. Mary shared in Jesus’ victory over the grave, tasting first what is available to all of us: “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ ” (1Cor 15:54). Mary was taken up to heaven, preserved by God from the corruption of the grave; like Jesus, she overcame death and was raised body and soul to heaven.

God blessed Mary with this extraordinary favour because she had “believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk 1:45). She trusted in God’s promises despite being found with child before her marriage; despite the difficult circumstance of delivering a child in a cave, outcast and unwanted; despite having to flee to Egypt with her newborn; despite watching her Son die an unjust death. Through all these trials, Mary remained faithful to what God had spoken to her, unwavering in her faith as she came to know more deeply God’s love for her and for all people.

We can rejoice because that same trust, obedience, and knowledge of God are available to us. “His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation” (Lk 1:50) – right down to our day. In His love, God helps us to trust and obey Him in the ordinary demands of our days and in the unexpected trials of our lives. Every day He wants to come to us, to speak to us, to help us to recognize and receive His grace.

Let us thank God that we can know His love more deeply every day; that He will always have mercy on us, always help us to trust in Him. May what God has done for the humble and lowly throughout history – including today – arouse gratitude and joy in us. And may Elizabeth’s words be applied to us as well: “Blessed are they who believe and trust in the Lord’s promises” (see Lk 1:45).

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, in the assumption of Mary, You demonstrated the ultimate fulfilment of all Your promises to us. May we always believe Your word, embracing in every situation the new life poured out through Jesus’ death on the cross. May we trust in Your mercy and come to know Your love for us more deeply. Amen.


24 posted on 08/15/2012 4:25:25 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
A Christian Pilgrim

MARY’S ASSUMPTION

MARY’S ASSUMPTION 

MARY’S ASSUMPTION is a reminder to each of us that our home is in heaven. We belong there. We have a visa that no one can cancel. As we go our round of duties, with headaches and backaches mingled with laughter and tears, our Heavenly Mother’s bodily assumption recalls to our minds that our bodies and souls are destined for immortality. As St. Paul put it: “this corruptible body must put on incorruption, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” Mary’s glorification in heaven is a promise and a pledge that our bodies, too, will rise glorified with new vigor and vitality undreamed of in this world. 

Mary’s Assumption brings to us this assurance of Christian hope. Because she has gone before us, we know that our assumption is that much the more certain. By her entrance into our Father’s land, she can wait with a mother’s eagerness to welcome all her children back to their native land. By being lifted up to heaven, Mary has brought heaven more closely within the reach of every mortal man and woman. 

… Turn, then, most gracious advocate, 

Rev. Vincent A. Yzermands 

Source: Patrick Moran (Editor), DAY BY DAY WITH MARY, Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1983. 


25 posted on 08/15/2012 4:28:29 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Luke
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Luke 11
27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. Factum est autem, cum hæc diceret : extollens vocem quædam mulier de turba dixit illi : Beatus venter qui te portavit, et ubera quæ suxisti. εγενετο δε εν τω λεγειν αυτον ταυτα επαρασα τις γυνη φωνην εκ του οχλου ειπεν αυτω μακαρια η κοιλια η βαστασασα σε και μαστοι ους εθηλασας
28 But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. At ille dixit : Quinimmo beati, qui audiunt verbum Dei et custodiunt illud. αυτος δε ειπεν μενουνγε μακαριοι οι ακουοντες τον λογον του θεου και φυλασσοντες αυτον

26 posted on 08/15/2012 6:25:23 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
27. And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the paps which you have sucked.
28. But he said, Yes rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

BEDE; While the Scribes and Pharisees were tempting our Lord, and uttering blasphemies against Him, a certain woman with great boldness confessed His incarnation, as it follows, And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, &c. by which she refutes both the calumnies of the rulers present, and the unbelief of future heretics. For as then by blaspheming the works of the Holy Spirit, the Jews denied the true Son of God, so in after times the heretics, by denying that the Ever virgin Mary, by the cooperating power of the Holy Spirit, ministered of the substance of her flesh to the birth of the only-begotten Son, have said, that we ought not to confess Him who was the Son of man to be truly of the same substance with the Father. But if the flesh of the Word of God, who was born according to the flesh, is declared alien to the flesh of His Virgin Mother, what cause is there why the womb which bore Him and the paps which gave Him suck are pronounced blessed? By what reasoning do they suppose Him to be nourished by her milk, from whose seed they deny Him to be conceived? Whereas according to the physicians, from one and the same fountain both streams are proved to flow. But the woman pronounces blessed not only her who was thought worthy to give birth from her body to the Word of God, but those also who have desired by the hearing of faith spiritually to conceive the same Word, and by diligence in good works, either in their own or the hearts of their neighbors, to bring it forth and nourish it; for it follows, But he said, Yes rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

CHRYS. In this answer He sought not to disown His mother, but to show that His birth would have profited her nothing, had she not been really fruitful in works and faith. But if it Met profited Mary nothing that Christ derived His birth from her, without the inward virtue of her heart, much less will it avail us to have a virtuous father, brother, or son, while we ourselves are strangers to virtue.

BEDE; But she was the mother of God, and therefore indeed blessed, in that she was made the temporal minister of the Word becoming incarnate; yet therefore much more blessed that she remained the eternal keeper of the same ever to be beloved Word. But this expression startles the wise men of the Jews, who sought not to hear and keep the word of God, but to deny and blaspheme it.

Catena Aurea Luke 11
27 posted on 08/15/2012 6:26:08 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


The Assumption of the Virgin

Defendente Ferrari

1500
Tempera on panel, 162 x 68 cm
Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest

28 posted on 08/15/2012 6:28:48 PM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: All
 
Marriage = One Man and One Woman
Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for August 15, 2012:

(The Assumption) There are physical assumptions (like God lifting Mary up to heaven) and mental assumptions (like assuming you know what your beloved thinks or feels). Lift up your beloved with praise today but beware of presuming you totally know each other’s mind.


29 posted on 08/15/2012 7:55:00 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Vultus Christi

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

| 1015multiplierofwheaticon.jpg

I preached this homily several years ago. Allow me to share it with you again. Is this not a lovely icon for Marymass or Lady-Day-in-Harvest?

The Pascha of Summer

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Pascha of summer, signals the beginning of the final phase of the liturgical year. The Church enters into the splendours of her harvest time. With the feasts of late summer and autumn, the Church turns the shimmering pages of the book of the Apocalypse and draws us into their mystery. "Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, writes the Apostle, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near" (Ap 1:3).

The Transfiguration and the Cross

On August 6th, precisely forty days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we celebrated the Transfiguration of the Lord, a mystery of heavenly glory, a foretaste of the apocalyptic brightness of the Kingdom. "I saw one like a son of man, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength (Ap 1:16). Having contemplated the glory of the Father shining on the face of the transfigured Christ (2 Cor 4:6), in another month we will celebrate His Glorious Cross, the Tree of Life with leaves "for the healing of the nations" (Ap 22:2).

All Saints

On November 1st, the immense mosaic of all the saints will be unveiled before our wondering eyes in a liturgy scintillating with images from the book of the Apocalypse and echoing with "the voice of a great multitude like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, 'Alleluia'" (Ap 19:6).

Saint John Lateran

On November 9th, the liturgy of the feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran will point to "the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband" (Ap 21:2). As Mother Church approaches holy Advent, the end of her yearly cycle, the sacred liturgy seems to increase its momentum. Soon the last cry of the book of the Apocalypse will be ceaselessly in our hearts and on our lips, "'Surely. I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Ap 22:20).

Those Who Belong to Christ

Today, on this solemnity of the Assumption of the All-Holy Mother of God and Blessed Virgin Mary, we enter into the phase described by Saint Paul in the second reading, "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ" (1 Cor 15:22).

Into the Holy Place

Today, she who "belongs to Christ" by a unique, abiding, and unrepeatable privilege, the most holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, follows where he has gone, "through the greater and more perfect tent not made by human hands, that is, not of this creation . . . into the Holy Place" (Heb 9:11).

The Fragrance of Her Holiness

An antiphon of today's Office makes us sing: "Draw us in your footsteps, O Mary, hidden with Christ in God! Your paths are sown with delights; exquisite the fragrance of your perfumes." True devotion to the Mother of God consists in allowing oneself to be drawn after her. He who walks in the footprints of Mary inhales the mysterious fragrance of her holiness, a fragrance known to all the saints.

The Blessing of Herbs and Flowers

An old custom would have us bless fragrant herbs and flowers on the festival of the Assumption; according to legend the tomb of the Mother of God was found to be full of fragrant herbs and flowers after her body had been taken up into glory. Assumed body and soul into heaven, Mary leaves behind a lingering fragrance. It is subtle, not overpowering, but unmistakable. It is the fragrance of purity, of humility, and of adoration. Inhale it, and you will be drawn in her footsteps, even to the feet of the risen and ascended Christ, hidden in glory.

The Best Part

The ancient gospel for the Assumption, Luke 10:38-42 is that of another Mary -- Mary of Bethany -- seated in sweet repose at the feet of Jesus, listening to his word (Lk 10:39). "Mary has chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her" (Lk 10:42). With eyes illumined by the Holy Spirit, the Church discerned in the familiar figure of Mary of Bethany an icon of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, assumed into heaven. There, in the presence of her Son, she enjoys the rest promised by God, the Sabbath that will have no end (cf. Heb 4:1-10).

The Chambers of the King

"Draw me after you, let us make haste" (Ct 1:4), was the longing and desire of her heart. Now, to us, she says, "The king has brought me into his chambers" (Ct 1:4). The Assumption of the Mother of God is a signal to the entire cosmos that the divine economy is indeed entering into its final and glorious phase. "Then, says Saint Paul, comes the end, when He (Christ) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until he has put all his enemies beneath his feet" (1 Cor 15:24-25).

A Woman Clothed with the Sun

In the lesson from the Apocalypse, "God's temple in heaven was opened" (Ap 11:19). The Church, like Saint Stephen her proto-martyr, "full of the Holy Spirit, gazes into heaven and sees the glory of God" (Ac 7:55). The whole array of theophanic signs seen once on Sinai's heights is deployed again: "flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder" (Ap 11:19). And then, in the heavens appears the great portent: "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Ap 12:1).

The Woman is the bride of the Lamb adorned for her spouse (Ap 21:2); the Woman is the Church presented "in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing . . . holy and without blemish" (Eph 5:27); the Woman is the Virgin Mother of Nazareth, Bethlehem, Cana, Calvary, and the Mount of Olives. "Mary is assumed into heaven; the angels rejoice, and praising, bless the Lord" (Antiphon of Vespers). Behold the Woman of the psalm, the queen whose beauty the king desires, standing at his right, arrayed in gold (Ps 45: 9b-15).

Magnificat

The liturgy is not content with exalting the great apocalyptic icon before our eyes; the liturgy would have us hear the woman's song for her heart overflows with a goodly theme (Ps 45:1). This, of course, is the reason for today's jubilant gospel. "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour" (Lk 1:46). This is the song of the Bride of the Lamb; this is the song of the Church in every age; this is the song of the Holy Mother of God in the midst of the angels.

Praise and Adoration

If the apocalyptic phase of the liturgical year teaches us anything, it is that, in the end, the praise of God, and adoration, will have the final word. The glorious Assumption of the Mother of God points to the immense and ceaseless liturgy of heaven, to the fullness of that doxological and eucharistic life that begins for us here and now. Those who go in search of the Lamb will find Him in the company of Mary His Mother. "We have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him" (Mt 2:2).

Mary Is That Star

For us, Mary is that star. "Look to the star," says Saint Bernard, "and call upon Mary." Already, the "voice of the great multitude, like the sound of many waters" (Ap 19:6) begins to swell. It is the voice of those who look to the star, and follow her to the marriage supper of the Lamb. A new song rises in the heart of a Church that is alive and young: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come'" (Ap 22:17). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.


30 posted on 08/15/2012 8:06:46 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Vultus Christi

Blessing of Herbs and Flowers

| Assumption3.jpg

Christians of both East and West have, from very early times, blessed herbs and fruit on the Feast of the Assumption. Thus blessed, these creatures become sacramentals of the Church and portents of divine protection from dangers to soul and body. In some places the herbs were placed on the altar, and even beneath the altar linens, so that from this proximity to the Most Holy Eucharist they might receive a special hallowing, beyond that conferred by the blessing prayers of the Church.

The prayers of the rite suggest that this custom of the Church hearkens back to the ancient customs ordained by God through Moses. According to Christian tradition, when the Apostles accompanied Saint Thomas, who had been absent at the time of the Blessed Virgin's death, to her tomb, upon opening it they discovered that her body was not there. Instead, they found the tomb filled with fragrant herbs and flowers. Blessed herbs recall the lingering fragrance of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church.

Blessing of Herbs and Flowers in Honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

lavender.JPG

After the Asperges if it is a Sunday, otherwise immediately before Mass, the priest, standing before the altar and facing the people who hold the sheaves of new grain, garden vegetables, flowers and new herbs and the finest fruits of their orchards in their hands, says in a clear voice:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 64

P: To you we owe our hymn of praise, O God, in Sion; to you must vows be fulfilled, you who hear prayers. All: To you all flesh must come* because of wicked deeds. P: We are overcome by our sins; * it is you who pardon them. All: Happy the man you choose, * and bring to dwell in your courts. P: May we be filled with the good things of your house, * the holy things of your temple. All: With awe-inspiring deeds of justice you answer us, * O God our Savior, P: The hope of all the ends of the earth * and of the distant seas. All: You set the mountains in place by your power, * you who are girt with might; P: You still the roaring of the seas, * the roaring of their waves and the tumult of the peoples. All: And the dwellers at the earth's ends are in fear at your marvels; * the farthest east and west you make resound with joy. P: You have visited the land and watered it; * greatly have you enriched it. All: God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain. * Thus have you prepared the land: P: Drenching its furrows, * breaking up its clods, All: Softening it with showers, * blessing its yield. P: You have crowned the year with your bounty, * and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; All: The untilled meadows overflow with it, * and rejoicing clothes the hills. P: The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain. * They shout and sing for joy. All: Glory be to the Father. P: As it was in the beginning.

P: The Lord will be gracious. All: And our land will bring forth its fruit. P: You water the mountains from the clouds. All: The earth is replenished from your rains. P: Giving grass for cattle. All: And plants for the benefit of man. P: You bring wheat from the earth. All: And wine to cheer man's heart. P: Oil to make his face lustrous. All: And bread to strengthen his heart. P: He utters a command and heals their suffering. All: And snatches them from distressing want. P: O Lord, hear my prayer. All: And let my cry come unto you. P: The Lord be with you. All: And with your spirit.

Let us pray. Almighty everlasting God, who by your word alone brought into being the heavens, earth, sea, things seen and things unseen, and garnished the earth with plants and trees for the use of man and beast; who appointed each species to bring forth fruit in its kind, not only for the food of living creatures, but for the healing of sick bodies as well; with mind and word we urgently call on you in your great kindness to bless + these various herbs and fruits, thus increasing their natural powers with the newly given grace of your blessing. May they keep away disease and adversity from men and beasts who use them in your name; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

Let us pray. God, who through Moses, your servant, directed the children of Israel to carry their sheaves of new grain to the priests for a blessing, to pluck the finest fruits of the orchard, and to make merry before you, the Lord their God; hear our supplications, and shower blessings + in abundance upon us and upon these bundles of new grain, new herbs, and this assortment of produce which we gratefully present to you on this festival, blessing + them in your name. Grant that men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden find in them a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, injuries, spells, against the fangs of serpents or poisonous creatures. May these blessed objects be a protection against diabolical mockery, cunning, and deception wherever they are kept, carried, or otherwise used. Lastly, through the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, whose Assumption we are celebrating, may we all, laden with the sheaves of good works, deserve to be taken up to heaven; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

Let us pray. God, who on this day raised up to highest heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that by her prayers and patronage you might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of her womb, your very Son; we humbly implore you to help us use these fruits of the soil for our temporal and everlasting welfare, aided by the power of your Son and the prayers of His glorious Mother; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come upon these creatures and remain always. All: Amen.


31 posted on 08/15/2012 8:10:18 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

God Lifts Up the Lowly
| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary



Father Steven Reilly, LC

Luke 1: 39-56

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your wondrous, shining glory, although this is hidden from my eyes. I hope in the peace and everlasting joy of the world to come, for this world is a valley of tears. I love you, even though I am not always able to discern the love in your intentions when you permit me to suffer. You are my God and my all.

Petition: Lord, help me to be humble!

1. All Generations Will Call Me Blessed: When Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption, it was a cause of great joy throughout the Catholic world. Believed for centuries, it entered the realm of official Catholic dogma. Our Lady is brought to heaven to share in the glory and joy of her Son and our Lord. We have always looked to Mary as our mother, and so the feast of the Assumption continues to fill us with happiness. She is with Christ, and she is our mother more than ever. We entrust ourselves to her in the same way that Pope John Paul the Great did, “Totus Tuus.”

2. Scattering the Proud: Proud people are generally very focused on whatever serves their best interests. So “scattering” is a very good verb to use to indicate what happens to the proud when God goes into action. Mary rejoices in that “scattering,” but who are the proud? Maybe we don’t have to look any further than ourselves. How much we fight with that root sin of pride! Mary is happy when pride gets scattered and the perspective we have widens. Instead of just seeing things from our own myopic point of view, this scattering opens up the “thoughts of our hearts” to see others and their needs. Nothing is more Mary-like than that.

3. Lifting Up the Lowly: This feast of the Assumption is proof that God literally lifts up the lowly. Like her Son and his Ascension, Mary is lifted up by God into the realm of eternal life. Sometimes we cling to our pride out of a sort of instinct of self-preservation—“If I don’t look out for number one, who will?” But Mary’s humility is a lesson for us. Our true self-fulfillment lies in becoming everyday more filled with God; We can only do that if we are not filled with ourselves. Let’s ask Mary to help us to live more like her and experience the true joy—the lifting up—that there is in humility.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I thank you for giving us such a wonderful mother. She helps me to stay on the path of fulfilling your will. Help me to be able to sing a Magnificat in my own soul, “The Almighty has done great things for me!”

Resolution: I will be generous and joyful when I am asked to help out.


32 posted on 08/15/2012 8:18:56 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

The Feast of the Assumption

First Reading: Rv. 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

Psalm: Ps. 45:10, 11, 12, 16

SecondReading: 1 Cor. 15:20-27

Gospel:  Lk. 1:39-56

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption, that Mary did not suffer physical corruption after her death. She was taken body and soul upon her death into heaven. What is the significance of this feast?

The first thing we find in Mary’s life is suffering. Mary’s suffering began when she was asked to bear a son before being married to Joseph. The anxieties in her heart, – would Joseph still accept her? If the public finds out, will she be stoned to death in public? Later, when she and Joseph took the child Jesus to theTemplethe holy man Simeon said of Jesus: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and the rise of many inIsrael, and to be a sign that will be contradicted.” Turning to Mary he said, “And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will pierce your own heart.”

Suffering continued in Mary’s life when in later years she saw the opposition grow against Jesus. Her suffering reached its peak when she stood beneath the crucified body of her Son. Mary bore her suffering with courage and with patience. And that’s where she inspires us to bear our suffering as courageously and patiently as she did.

The second thing that we find in Mary’s life is the spirit of service to others. The spirit manifested itself when the angel Gabriel announced that she was to be the mother of the Son of God. Her answer was short and to the point: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Mary’s spirit of service continued to manifest itself when she learned of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and went to help. Finally, that spirit of service continued to
manifest itself when Mary asked help from Jesus for the young married couple atCana.

The third thing that we find in Mary’s life is a spirit of profound prayerfulness. This spirit of prayerfulness is seen in her prayer of praise to God. Mary offered this prayer called the Magnificat right after learning thatElizabeth’s child leaped in the womb when she approachedElizabethwith Jesus in her womb. Mary’s spirit of prayerfulness continued at the birth of Jesus, when the Gospel tells us that Mary “kept all these things [connected with Jesus' birth] reflecting on them in her heart.” And it reached a special peak when the Acts of the Apostles relates that she “devoted” herself “to prayer” with the Apostles in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Because of her prayerfulness, she was always ready to do the will of God. That’s why she was sinless, that’s why she was taken body and soul to heaven upon her death to be with God forever.

Mary inspires us to want to carry our cross patiently as she carried hers. She inspires us to want to serve others generously and joyfully, as she served them. Finally, she inspires us to pray regularly as she did. Who can be a better Advocate than Mary our Mother?


33 posted on 08/15/2012 8:27:17 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 


<< Wednesday, August 15, 2012 >> Assumption
Saint of the Day
 
Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10
1 Corinthians 15:20-27

View Readings
Psalm 45:10-12, 16
Luke 1:39-56

 

MARY, CAUSE OF OUR JOY

 
"My spirit finds joy in God my Savior." —Luke 1:47
 

The well-known prayer, "Litany of the Blessed Virgin," addresses Mary as the "cause of our joy." This title of Mary is most appropriate for today's feast of her Assumption into heaven.

Mary's entire being found joy in the Lord (Lk 1:46). She spread that joy to others, even the pre-born baby John, who leapt "for joy" at the sound of Mary's voice as she carried Jesus into their home in her womb (Lk 1:44). Mary was also present in the upper room at Pentecost (see Acts 1:14ff) and surely exulted with joy as her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, filled the apostles, who then brought three thousand people into the Church.

Finally, Mary "was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory" (Catechism, 966). "She already shares in the glory of her Son's Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of His Body" (Catechism, 974). She has been "exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son" (Catechism, 966). Her assumption is a sign of sure hope (Lumen Gentium, 68, Vatican II) that Jesus will raise us up to live with Him forever.

The Lord in His word commands us to rejoice with Mary as she is honored today. Since Mary "is honored, all the members share [her] joy" (1 Cor 12:26). We are to "rejoice with" her (Rm 12:15). Mary would be the first to proclaim: "Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice!" (Phil 4:4) Rejoice with Mary, the "cause of our joy."

 
Prayer: Holy Spirit, some Christians respond to the joy of Your spouse, Mary, with disdain. Convert their frowns into smiles of joy today.
Promise: "God's temple in heaven opened and in the temple could be seen the ark of His covenant." —Rv 11:19
Praise: Praise the risen and returning Jesus, drawing all people to Himself! (Jn 12:32)

34 posted on 08/15/2012 8:34:13 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

35 posted on 08/15/2012 8:37:20 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Essays for Lent: The Assumption
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 4th Glorious Mystery: The Assumption (Patristic Rosary)
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS]Processions in Spain for the Assumption and the Mystery of Elche (graphics heavy)
[ORTHODOX/CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Indian Church’s Assumption Day Parade Makes Its Colorful Annual...
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Our Lady and Dogmas: Pondering the Assumption (Launch of Rosary Crusade)
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS]The Assumption of Our Blessed Lady

[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] The Assumption of Mary [from Hallowed Ground}
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Our Blessed Lady's Assumption
CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] The Feast of the Assumption Is Our Feast Too
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] Where was Mary assumed to?
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] Assumpta est Maria in cælum!
Why do we believe in the Assumption? (Catholic Caucus)
On Mary, Mother of Priests (Assumption)
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From Eden to Eternity: A Homily on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: 15 August [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Assumption and the World by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
The Early Church Fathers on the Assumption [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY: A BELIEF SINCE APOSTOLIC TIMES [Ecumenical]
August 15, Feast of the Assumption - Did Mary's Assumption Really Occur? [Ecumenical]
Assumption Sermon of Rev James Bartoloma 8/16/07 (on Summorum Pontificum)
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HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
Why Catholics Believe in the Assumption of Mary
St. John Damascene: Homily 3 on the Assumption/Dormition
St. John Damascene: Homily II on the Assumption/Dormition
St. John Damascene: Homily I on the Assumption/Dormition
Catholic Caucus: The Assumption of Mary - Marcellino D'Ambrosio, PhD
Today's the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15th.
Maronite Catholic: Qolo (Hymn) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Gregory Palamas: On the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Maronite Catholic: Qolo (Hymn) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Catholic Caucus: A NOVENA OF FASTING AND PRAYERS/ASSUMPTION/DORMITION
St. Gregory Palamas: On the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The Fourth Glorious Mystery
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A Homily on the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The Assumption Of Mary

36 posted on 08/15/2012 9:11:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Vultus Christi

Assumption Homily

 on August 16, 2012 5:48 AM |
dormitio_giotto1.jpg

Assumpta Est Maria

Assumpta est Maria in caelum, gaudent angeli, laudantes benedicunt Dominum! Mary has been taken up into heaven; the angels rejoice and, praising, bless the Lord! The Virgin in whose womb reposed the Author of Life is preserved from the corruption of the tomb. The Mother of God is assumed body and soul into the splendour of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Escorted by myriads of angels in jubilation, the Queen of Heaven advances toward her Son, who sits enthroned amid the stars.

Even Within the Veil

In a sense, the Assumption of the Mother of God is the liturgy of her Great Entrance; the feast of her oblation in the heavenly sanctuary, "the tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man" (Heb 8:2). She is the Mother of Holy Hope. She is given to us to be our strongest comfort, to be the anchor of our souls, "sure and firm, and which entereth in even within the veil" (Heb 6:18-19).

Our Lady's Pascha

Today heaven and earth keep the summer festival of Marymas, Ladyday-in-the-Harvest, the Pascha of the all-holy Mother of God. She has passed into the great summer that, stretching from the springtime of the Resurrection until the return of the Lord in glory, presages the shining harvest of all the saints. The song of the angels soars, stretching, swelling, and cresting from choir to choir. The soul of the Virgin magnifies the Lord and her God-bearing flesh rejoices (Lk 1:46).

The Temple and the Ark

"And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of His testament was seen in His temple" (Apoc 11:19). In the First Book of Chronicles, we see the Ark of the Covenant solemnly transported to the tent made ready by David to receive it. David is the figure of Christ of whom he sings in the psalm, "He hath set his tabernacle in the sun" (Ps 18:6).

That Where I Am, You Also May Be

The Virgin Mary is the Ark of the Covenant, carried aloft by heavenly levites into the tent prepared for her by the King of Kings, the glorious Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ. As she advances, angels raise sounds of joy on harps and lyres and cymbals and, in accord with the command of David, the appointed singers sing (1 Chr 15:16). Behold the wondrous fulfillment of what the Lord had promised: "In my Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be" (Jn 14:2-3).

Arise, Make Haste

But listen! "The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills" (Ct 2:8). In speaking to His Mother, Christ speaks to His Bride, the Church, and in speaking to His Bride the Church, He speaks to every soul washed in Baptism, sealed in Chrismation with the kiss of the Holy Ghost, and nourished at the banquet of His Body and Blood. "Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come" (Ct 2:10); for lo, the winter of our separation is past, the rain of so many tears is over and gone.

When I Appear Before His Sight

"I slept," says the Virgin of the Dormition, "I slept, but my heart kept watch." Ct 5:2). The heart of the Virgin is quickened and her flesh is suffused with fire. "Oh, how I rejoiced when I heard my Son say to me, 'Let us go up to the house of the Lord'" (cf. Ps 121:1). "One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in His Father's house all the days of my life, that I may see the delight of the Lord" (Ps 26:4), and "when I appear before His sight, I shall be satisfied with the appearing of His glory" (Ps 16:15).

Thy Voice is Sweet and Thy Face Comely

Listen to the words of the Son. "Arise my love, my fair one, and come away (Ct 2:13) for I desire that thou, my mother, first among those whom the Father hath given me, shouldst be with me where I am, to behold my glory, the glory given me by my Father in his love for me before the foundation of the world (cf. Jn 17:24). All of heaven longeth to see thy face, Mother, and the angels yearneth to hear thy voice, "for thy voice is sweet, and thy face is comely" (Ct 2:14).

The Woman Clothed with the Sun

We see the Queen of Heaven "coming up from the wilderness, like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense" (Ct 3:6). The prophet Isaiah sees her coming from afar, recognizes the Virgin of the Sign (Is 7:14), the Mother of Emmanuel, and stands to greet her. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you . . . The Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you" (Is 60:1-2). She is the woman "clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Apoc 12:1).

Hidden with Christ in God

The Mother of God has put on the imperishable; she is clothed in immortality (1 Cor 15:54). The Apostle lifts his voice in praise of the God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57). Mary, first of all, knows the fullness of Christ's glorious triumph in her flesh. Mary is the first-fruits of the harvest sown by Jesus in his blessed Passion and Death. Mary is the first to follow Him into the glory of his Resurrection and Ascension. Her life now is hidden with the life of Christ in God (Col 3:3), and when He who is our life appears, then she also will appear with him in glory (Col 3:4). Mary waits for her children to join her, the small and the great, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his Bride has made herself ready (Apoc 19:7).

Mary Hath Chosen the Better Part

And so, led by kings and levites, by angels, prophets and apostles, we make our way to the Gospel of the Assumption so cherished by the ancient liturgical traditions of both East and West for the Dormition of the Virgin, for "Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Lk 10:42).

The Virgin of Nazareth who surrendered her heart, her soul, and her flesh to the Word and the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost;
the Virgin of Bethlehem, joyful in her poverty;
the Virgin of Egypt, trusting in her exile;
the Virgin of Jerusalem, anguished and amazed by her child;
the Virgin of Cana, strong in her intercession;
the Virgin of Calvary, faithful in her compassion;
the Virgin of Holy Saturday, silent and indomitable in her hope;
the Virgin of the Cenacle, persevering in prayer;
the Virgin of the Mount of Olives, ardent in her desire,
has, at last, come to rest at the feet of her Son.

The One Thing Necessary

"And she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching" (Lk 10:39). Behold our sister, Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, seated at the feet of our Lord! Behold our Mother, Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, in repose at the feet of her Son! She is seated at His feet in glory, higher than the seraphim and cherubim, exalted above all the angelic choirs, for to her is given the One Thing Necessary (Lk 10:42) in heaven and on earth. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee" (Ps 73:25).

A Mother Close to Her Children

Think not for a moment that the Assumption places a distance between us and the all-holy Mother of God. Quite the contrary. Her exaltation has made her closer to us than we can dream or imagine. The all-holy Virgin is mother, completely mother, and the desire of every mother is to be close to her children.

From her place of glory in heaven, she stoops down to us, attentive to our sufferings. Her compassion illumines this valley of tears. Her Assumption has not separated her from us. The Assumption is not a mystery of distance and separation but a mystery of nearness and of communion. Now set free from the limitations of space and of time, the holy Mother of God is capable of being present to all her children, to the little ones especially, to the broken-hearted, the weak, and the poor.

Mother of Mercy

Glorious in her Assumption, the Virgin Mother has but one desire: to do for each one of us what a loving mother would do for her child. Her weakness is for the poorest among us. Her predilection goes to those who stumble and fall rather than to those who walk straight and tall, to those who, bearing within themselves deep and secret wounds, are most in need of her attentions and care.

Let us lift up our eyes to the All-Holy Mother of God and Blessed Virgin Mary, praising and confessing the wonderful mystery of her Assumption. Today, dear brothers, she will hear all your requests, answering them according to the wisdom and love of her Immaculate Heart.

The Joys of Heaven

Today, she pierces all our darknesses with a ray of heavenly light. Her desire is to share with us the joys of heaven, the very joys that flood her body and her soul in the glory of her Son.

And for all of that, we need not wait. Already, here and now, we are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Apoc 19:9). Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory (Apoc 19:7) who with the Father lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Ghost, and who will come again, as he promised, to take us to Himself (Jn 14:3). "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Apoc 22:20).


37 posted on 08/16/2012 4:21:45 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-08-15-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily


38 posted on 08/19/2012 7:18:47 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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