Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 15, 2022
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
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.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
“How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth is amazed at the priceless gift that has shown up on her doorstep, and she understands that something extraordinary has happened to her. Elizabeth experiences a glorious moment, not through her activity but her receptivity.
Mary, filled with this same spirit, cries out, “The almighty has done great things for me.” Mary understands that her greatness is received, not achieved. Mary is great, not because she has accomplished some great work, but because God has done something special for her, and everything God does is great. The almighty God has no small and insignificant works.
Any person can experience a life filled with the same greatness offered to Elizabeth and Mary. Any person who remains open to the will of God and who trusts that God is at work in the things that happen to them (as curious and mysterious as they may be in the moment) is on a path to a great and glorious life.
God does not ask us to achieve greatness through the constant exhaustion of ourselves; lasting greatness emerges from an ever-increasing trust in a God who only allows what is best for his children.
What are you willing to have to happen to you today? Your answer to this question is the single most crucial factor in deciding the greatness of your life.
Prayer
Blessed and praiseworthy are you, O God. In your divine wisdom you raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul to the glory of heaven. May we, too, find our eternal home in your kingdom with you, your Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. 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!