Assumption

Today we celebrate Mary, the mother of Jesus.

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." - Luke 1:46-55

You may know today as the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the day the church set aside for us to recognize the special nature of the woman who bore the fully human and fully divine person of God.

I was raised with this belief, so to this day, I recite the Hail Mary and think of her when I pray, but there is nothing in the Gospel that talks about Mary being assumed into heaven at her death.  In fact there is nothing much about her life either.  Much of what we hear her say is either to an angel or to her cousin, Elizabeth, other than her instructions to the servants at the wedding in Cana.

And maybe that's OK.  Maybe we need to keep her in mystery in order to keep ourselves in awe of God's mighty nature and power, capable of changing the rules, making exceptions, doing the impossible.

God is Love and in Mary we find that God is also Hope.

So, today, we should think of Mary when we are faced with an insurmountable problem, or a live-changing challenge, not just for how she dealt with the unimaginable, but for how God works through us when we say yes to Him.

So, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus; Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

More to come...