MY daily reflection and prayer:
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Luke 1: 39-56
In those days 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 magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
THE liturgical calendar of Indonesian Catholic Church today invites us to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary through his Apostolic Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus”, on November 1, 1950. It was a cause of great joy throughout the Catholic world. After being believed for centuries, it entered the realm of official Catholic dogma.
This dogma fulfills Mary’s Magnificat as we read in the Gospel today. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”
St. Mary is happy when pride gets scattered and the perspective we have widens. How much we fight with that root sin of pride! Instead of just seeing things from our own myopic perspective, this scattering opens up our hearts to see others and their needs. Truly, nothing is more Mary-like than that. Let’s be humble like her. Mary’s humility is a lesson for us.
Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary is brought to heaven to share in the glory and joy of her Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. As the followers of Jesus Christ we have always looked to Mary as our mother. The solemnity of the Assumption continues to fill us with happiness.
We believe that Mother Mary is with Jesus Christ, her Son. Surely, she is our mother more than ever. We are able to entrust totally ourselves to her. She will welcome us her children in heaven.
This solemnity of the Assumption is proof that God literally lifts up the lowly. Mother Mary is lifted up by God and Jesus Christ, her Son into the realm of eternal life.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist, while adoring Jesus Christ we can pray with Mother Mary. We recite the Rosary. As Mother Mary, we let God fills us his grace. Do we realize that our true self-fulfillment lies in becoming everyday more filled with God? Do we let Mother Mary to help us to live more like her so that we experience the true joy?
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be humble like your mother, St. Mary. Thank you for giving us such a wonderful mother. She helps us to stay on the path of fulfilling your will. Help us to be able to sing a “Magnificat” in our own soul, “The Almighty has done great things for us!” now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
