Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 15, 2020
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 proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Have you ever felt so filled with a tangible sense of God’s glory, a vision of hope so real and luminous before your eyes, that you cannot contain your inner exultation? Mary’s song of praise and gratitude has welled up within my heart several times during this past year, which I spent living in a L’Arche community with people who have intellectual disabilities. There, I witnessed daily how God indeed exalts the lowly and humbles the proud. Our life together is deeply entrenched in bodily fragility. Assistants support core members with mundane self-care tasks such as bathing, toileting, grooming, dressing, eating, and walking.
We are immediately aware of the limitations of our mortal bodies, which can cause anguish and sorrow – the one trembling with anxiety, the one fervently praying for healing, the one losing her memory, the one wordlessly crying, the one screaming for attention, the one lashing out in agitation, the one missing her family, the one coping with grief, the one longing for love. Yet in this very flesh, through the constant, mutual self-gift of our bodies to one another in relationships of trust and tenderness, I have encountered the glad tidings of God’s salvation, the reversal of fortunes that Mary joyfully proclaims.
Even amidst the challenges of living with disabilities, my friends and I – whether through words, smiles, laughter, music, art, dance, gaze, touch, or peaceful presence – declare that the Almighty has done great things for us, and holy is God’s name. We rejoice in the Spirit, for we truly hope in God’s promise of mercy revealed in Christ. This feast of Mary’s Assumption reminds us that our humanity will share in the reversal of fortunes definitively accomplished at Easter, that corruption and decay are not the last word. Our bodies will be raised imperishable, and we shall meet God face to face.
Prayer
God of compassion and strength, visit us and give us the hope of your Spirit dwelling within and around us. Help us to trust in the relationships of our lives that help us to know your abiding love and lasting peace. Enliven us to always trust in your presence, especially when we embrace our brothers and sisters in joy, as did Mary and Elizabeth. Grant this through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
With this feast of Mary’s Assumption to Heaven, we proclaim that when Mary’s earthly life was over, she was raised into heaven, body and soul, where she lives with Christ in union with the Trinity.
As with all that we believe about Mary, the teaching of the Assumption really comes down to what we believe about Jesus. Jesus’ incarnation and resurrection both show us that God seeks us out, makes us holy, and will raise us from the dead as whole human persons—body and soul together. Just as we were created with a soul united to a body, so we will be saved in both soul and body.
Though our souls separate from our bodies when we die, our souls will be reunited with our glorified bodies at the end of time when we are resurrected from the dead. Mary’s Assumption into heaven is simply the precursor to this reality. In this, and in all things, she goes before us in faith.
The Church established this feast in 1950, at a time when the world needed an affirmation of the dignity of the human person, body and soul. It came at the conclusion of two world wars, after the slaughter of so many in the middle of the most violent and bloody century in human history.
It is easy to compartmentalize the spiritual life from the daily life we lead at work and at home. Mary’s Assumption into heaven is a reminder that our faith cannot be abstracted from our experience as embodied persons in the world. If, like Mary, we can reflect God’s holiness in our day-to-day lives, we will also conquer death through God's grace and be raised, body and soul, to the glory of heaven. Let us strive to emulate Mary’s faithfulness with both our bodies and our souls.
In most years, this solemnity is a Holy Day of Obligation, when Catholics gather around the world to celebrate an important aspect of our faith. According to a 1991 decree from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops, when this solemnity falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated. Mary’s Assumption is depicted in a wall mural in the Basilica as well as in this stained glass window; the reliquary chapel contains fragments of what was to be Mary’s tomb.
On this feast of the Assumption, may we follow Mary’s example by reflecting God’s holiness in body and soul!