Making An Assumption
I hold a warm place in my heart for Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Having been raised i8n the tradition and teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, Mary was my go to gal. When it came to prayer, Mary was the one to whom I would make my devotions, her rosary clutched firmly in hand.
Grandma taught me to pray the rosary and it was from her that I learned about novenas to Our Lady, the intercessor, the one who would tell Jesus what to do and whom to heal or help.
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." - John 2:3-5
Even when Jesus told his mother off, as he tried to do in this instance, she knew he would obey her.
So, why wouldn't I go to her if I needed his help?
While Mary is revered in the Anglican tradition, the Anglican and Episcopal Churches do not focus on the bodily assumption of Mary into Heaven, which is celebrated on this date each year.
This is one of the oldest traditions in the church, going back to the sixth century, with mention of her assumption found in books as early as the fourth century, around the time of John's Gospel. So this belief goes back to the beginnings of the church.
And whether you buy into all the mysteries of Mary, from her conception without sin, her virgin pregnancy, and her death and assumption into heaven, Mary the woman was quite a force in life and in the life of the church.
It is believed she died within fifteen years after Jesus, and if she was only a teenager when he was born, that would make her about 62-65, old for that time.
The assumption about the assumption goes like this, taken from the online Catholic Encyclopedia.
St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.
Like most mysteries, belief is based on faith more than fact, but that is what makes our traditions so powerful.
The fact that the presence of Mary in this world didn't completely end with her death. given her appearances to children over the centuries means there is something special about this woman that survives in our lives beyond death.
She remains a symbol of hope everlasting for Christians throughout the world, and her messages of peace and love reinforce that hope for a future that is better than the present.
So, here's to you, Mary!
I end with the prayer that has been my rock and my anchor all my life.
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...