THE WORD AND THE FEAST
August 15, 2020: Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother
Revelation 11:19,
12:1-6, 10; 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26; Luke 1: 39-56
The crossing of the red sea and the
Babylonian Exile are said to be the watershed for the God experience of the
people of Israel. It was their walk from slavery to freedom that gave an identity
to the people of the Old Testament.
In the New Testament too it was a similar experience that proved to be the watershed... the passing from death to life; the event of life-giving Hope! The hope that Jesus' resurrection brought to humankind reaches its fulfilment, when Mary shares the fruits of it as the first one to do so, in union with her Son and Lord Jesus Christ.
Mary was instrumental in bringing
in the light of the world. She remained faithful to the One who had called her
and thus wins favour in God's eyes. Hence it is that many a saint spoke of her
as the lady of the Apocalypse, bringing forth the Son and fighting the dragon.
She is given these honours due to the humility with which she went about doing
the will of the One who had called her.
It was this humility and docility
that made her so grateful and recognizant of God's mighty presence with her on
a constant basis. This recognition makes her a strong person: so free and so
responsible. When she sings that hymn of glory to the Lord it was not merely a
wishful prayer but also an expression of commitment towards the Reign of God,
the reign of equality and justice to all.
There is a difference between Ascension and Assumption: let us not be carried away by those who argue that it is unjust to raise Mary to this level and that it is almost like granting her a place equivalent to Jesus who ascended into heaven! The Church teaches that Christ, the Son of God after his resurrection ascended to the Father. The same Church teaches us in clear terms, "Mary was assumed" into heaven by the grace of God! This was a grace bestowed on Mary, not a feat achieved by Mary. Hence what we celebrate today is the goodness and generosity of God in granting God's beloved daughter and the Mother of the Son of God, a singular privilege which further manifests God's glory!
May the feast of Assumption bring us to a humble recognition of the ways in which God wants to use us here and now, that we too may one day experience the fulfillment of our Hope in the Lord.