August 15, 2020

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Woman of Revelation is Mary

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

Today we celebrate the oldest feast in honor of Our Lady. Her Assumption has been celebrated since the 5th century.

In the first reading from the Book of Revelation we read about a terrifying, violent dragon. For St. John, it represented the Roman Empire that persecuted the Church. Today we also see that it represents the evil influences in the world—materialism, secularism, relativism. It represents all that Christians are up against today, all that runs contrary to the Gospel.

But in this scene, there is another figure—a woman. The Church has always seen her as Mary, the Mother of God. She is clothed with the sun…which is to say, clothed with God, full of grace. Her crown of twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles—the people of God, the Church.

Another element in the picture is the moon, the traditional symbol of mortality and death. But the moon is under her feet, a reminder that Mary assumed body and soul into heaven, leaves death behind. She points us to the victory over death achieved by her Divine Son.

Mary is about to give birth. She brought Christ into the world. Here she is also a symbol of the Church which must bring Christ to birth anew in the world. This is the Church’s mission, isn’t it? She does this through the sacraments, her worship, and her preaching. She does this through the witness of all the baptized. Each of us is challenged to repeat with St. Paul: “It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” It is an ongoing challenge to be taken up each day. We fall and we must pick ourselves up. Faith is shaken but it must be strengthened. There are times of doubt and discouragement, but we must face life with renewed trust. We should not be discouraged for Cardinal Newman reminds us that “the work of holiness is the work of a lifetime. Fr. Henri Nouwen calls it “the process of slowly dressing our mortal bodies with immortality.”

Mary’s Assumption into heaven reminds us that death is not the enemy, but a friend who takes us by the hand and leads us to the glory and joy of heaven. Yet this is not easy since we know little of life beyond this world and so our attention is on this life, the here and now. It reminds me of the little Italian rhyme I learned as a child, an invocation to Our Lady: “Maria, Maria, portami via, ma piu tarde che sia!” [Mary, Mary, take me away, but as late as can be!” It reflects where we usually are—comfortable with the here and now.

But heaven is our goal and the hope that we should carry within us on life’s journey. We can be consoled on that journey because Mary, “the highest honor of our race” has gone before us and as a loving Mother will accompany us along the way.