Opening Prayer
Lord, I praise You for the Fitting Glory of the Assumption, acknowledging that it was right for the Mother of God to be raised to heaven in body and soul. I marvel at the humility of a Creator who would so highly exalt a creature, making her the Mother of the recreated world. Let this mystery remind me of the high dignity to which You call all who serve You with a pure heart and a submitted will.
I ask for the grace to live as a child of Mary, imitating her mirror of virtue and her total submission to Your Word. Let the hope of future glory motivate my current actions, keeping my eyes fixed on the eternal home You have prepared for those who follow her path. May I seek to be united to Your divine majesty with the same singleness of purpose that defined her life on earth.
Amen.
Luke 1:39-56
39And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. 40And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. 41And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. 46And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. 51He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. 52He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: 55As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever. 56And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house.
Blessed John Henry Newman
Blessed John Henry Newman evaluations the Assumption as “becoming” to her Lord and Son. Because she was the “Mother of the Word Incarnate“, it was fitting she should not lie in the grave. Her narrative is the pledge that our own earthly courses have a glorious termination. And so, the Assumption is the dignity of the body. We often treat our bodies as “clay”. Newman reminds us that Mary provided the substance of His human flesh. Mary’s triumph facilitates a deeper “Participation in the Divine Nature“. If the Temple of God was assumed, we too must adorn our soul for a similar destiny.
It was “fitting” for Mary to be assumed into heaven, as she serves as the “Star of the Sea” for our own perilous journey. Her glory is a sign of hope, reminding us that we too are her children destined for the eternal home prepared by God. She unfailingly takes us to Jesus, ensuring that our passage through the bitterness of this world ends in His embrace.
“Mary’s assumption was fitting. In her, the “earth of humanity” is joined to the “divinity” of God. She is the Bridge that spans the river of death, allowing us to pass from the bitterness of the world to eternal life.”
— Blessed John Henry Newman
Mary and the Magisterium
It was fitting that the body which provided the humanity of God should not see decay. Her Assumption marks her as the first citizen of the recreated world, clothed in heavenly glory.
- How does the "Assumption of Mary" change the way I view my "feeble, mortal, fleeting" health?
- Do I "admire the beauty of the Most High King" reflected in His Mother?
Closing Prayer
Lord, You have lifted up the lowly. Grant that I too may live with You in glory.
Amen.
