#the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is His Name

[ave-immaculata]

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then, I called on the name of the Lord: "Lord, save me!" How gracious is the Lord, and just; our God has compassion. The Lord protects the simple hearts... I was helpless, so he saved me.

[magpie-trove]

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. With these words Mary first acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Then she recalls God’s universal favours, bestowed unceasingly on the human race.

When a man devotes all his thoughts to the praise and service of the Lord, he proclaims God’s greatness. His observance of God’s commands, moreover, shows that he has God’s power and greatness always at heart. His spirit rejoices in God his saviour and delights in the mere recollection of his creator who gives him hope for eternal salvation.

These words are suitable for all God’s creations, but especially for the Mother of God. She alone was chosen, and she burned with spiritual love for the son she so joyously conceived. Above all other saints, she alone could truly rejoice in Jesus, her saviour, for she knew that he who was the source of eternal salvation would be born in time in her body, in one person both her own son and her Lord.

For the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Mary attributes nothing to her own merits. She refers all her greatness to the gift of the one whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for he fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who believe in him.

She did well to add: and holy is his name, to warn those who heard, and indeed all who would receive his words, that they must believe and call upon his name. For they too could share in everlasting holiness and true salvation according to the words of the prophet: and it will come to pass, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is the name she spoke of earlier: and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.

Therefore it is an excellent and fruitful custom of holy Church that we should sing Mary’s hymn at the time of evening prayer. By meditating upon the incarnation, our devotion is kindled, and by remembering the example of God’s Mother, we are encouraged to lead a life of virtue. Such virtues are best achieved in the evening. We are weary after the day’s work and worn out by our distractions. The time for rest is near, and our minds are ready for contemplation.

—Bede the Venerable

[miraevanlynch]

📜METATRON’S MESSIAH RECIPE THEORY📜

You thought I’d stopped replaying the grueling ending of episode 6? Nope, quite the contrary. I’ve watched it so many times that I’ve come up with a new conspiracy theory about Metatron’s motives and Aziraphale’s choice at the end of season two. This is just my speculation, so read it for entertainment. The article is very long, so please bear with me.

“Does anyone choose death?” – Metatron.

Surely, you’ve asked the same question as I have: “Why Aziraphale?” Why our angel, a “traitor” to his side, a low-ranking Principality, often seen as foolish, weak, and despised by his colleagues, was chosen by Metatron to become the Supreme Archangel, second only to God?

I’ve read many theories suggesting that the position of Supreme Archangel is merely titular, that Aziraphale will become a puppet in Metatron’s hands, allowing him full control. By separating the angel from Crowley, their combined strength would be diminished, ensuring the “Second Coming” goes smoothly without any hindrances. This theory made sense to me until I remembered the “Book of Life,” capable of erasing any entity with a single stroke.

And Metatron, the angel with full access to that book, could easily have erased Aziraphale and Crowley’s names, making them never exist. This indicates that Metatron’s plan goes beyond merely controlling the Ineffable Husbands' miracle; perhaps the scheme to separate them is deeper. Aziraphale and Crowley might actually be crucial to his plan, not just obstacles Metatron wishes to eliminate.

Anyone here read Frank Herbert’s Dune or watched its film adaptations? If so, you’d recognize two things:

1. Faith is the most powerful soft power, capable of wiping out armies. Nothing is more fearsome than an army of fanatics with unshakeable faith.

2. To have unity, you need religion and ideals. For religion and ideals to exist, you need an epic, a legend about “the chosen one.”

In season two, Heaven is depicted as highly fragmented, with Michael and Uriel vying for the Supreme Archangel position, Gabriel’s memory being wiped, and even Saraqael and Muriel aiding Crowley, a demon and their common enemy. Heaven is experiencing a severe personnel crisis, possibly even worse than Hell’s (at least Hell isn’t plagued by infighting).

As the King of Angels, overseeing Heaven, what should Metatron do to address this urgent problem, especially with the “Second Coming” looming, and both Heaven and Hell preparing for a great war? A disunited heavenly army lacking faith and bickering over personal gains is not what Metatron desires. He needs to unify them before the Holy War to ensure victory.

Metatron realizes the angels need a new leader, someone to rekindle their dead faith in God, unite them under one ideal, and lead them to a vision of heaven’s ultimate triumph, performing miracles no other angel can.

That’s when Metatron decides to go to Earth to find Aziraphale.

But why Aziraphale? We haven’t answered this question yet, have we? Why must Aziraphale become the Supreme Archangel, why is he “the chosen one”?

Simply because Metatron saw extraordinary qualities in him. The qualities of a heavenly “Messiah.” But what are the qualities of a Messiah? And what specifically has Aziraphale done to fulfill them? I’ll list some rather coincidental, perhaps eerily coincidental, details to support the idea that Aziraphale fits the messianic archetype, or even Jesus Christ.

To become a savior, one needs:

1. To perform extraordinary feats that no one else can: Jesus walked on water, prophesied, and healed. Aziraphale, in Heaven’s eyes, is the only angel who survived hellfire (like Paul Atreides surviving the Water of Life in Dune), prevented the Apocalypse, and persuaded the Antichrist, Adam. He understands human ways and Earth, something the other bureaucratic angels can’t grasp.

2. To have high ideals and absolute loyalty to the Almighty: This is evident in Jesus. For Aziraphale, it’s his unwavering faith in Heaven’s inherent goodness, his belief in God, and, crucially, his desire to reform Heaven’s corrupt bureaucracy that oppresses low-ranking angels while the higher-ups fight each other. (This echoes the plight of the Jews under harsh rulers and their prayers for a savior like Moses or Jesus. In Dune, the Fremen yearn for their Lisan Al Gaib to lead them to a Green Paradise. Angels are akin to the Jews or Fremen, longing for faith and salvation.)

3. To be compassionate, bearing the world’s sins: Jesus bore the hatred of the very people he sought to save but always forgave their sins. In Dune, Paul Atreides endured severe trials on Arrakis to earn the Fremen’s trust. Similarly, Aziraphale, despite Heaven’s mistreatment, holds no grudges and is ready to reform it for a brighter future for all.

4. To be “betrayed” by someone trusted and willing to sacrifice everything to save the world: This is the interesting part. After Metatron targeted Aziraphale, who bravely asked God about the Great Plan (in season 1) and fought for his ideals, he likely planned to turn the angel into an epic saint, a true religious leader for his military ends. Remember Metatron’s question at the café:

“Does anyone choose death?”

The answer is yes. The Messiah chooses death to save everyone. Jesus chose crucifixion, knowing it would redeem the world. Paul Atreides drank the lethal Water of Life to become the Mahdi of the Fremen. And how do you push a saint into such despair, making them endure all pain to highlight their virtues, leading people to follow them and unite under their faith?

Every story needs a villain to highlight the hero’s virtues.

And both angels and demons hate traitors.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas, his close disciple, whom he trusted, someone with latent evil but whom he always forgave. Judas wanted a violent revolution, a physical liberation, contrary to Jesus’ “spiritual revolution.” Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

And Aziraphale, excited about realizing his ideal of improving Heaven, was “betrayed” by the one he loved and trusted most, someone seen as a sinner but always recognized for his inner goodness. Crowley preferred “physical freedom” by fleeing to the stars, rejecting “freedom of thought,” which required resolving all potential threats. Crowley betrayed Aziraphale with a kiss.

After enduring all physical and mental agony, our Messiah will leave the mortal realm, forsaking all worldly pleasures to return to Heaven, where they save all beings.

So, from the perspective of other angels, the story of a “Messiah” Aziraphale with miraculous powers, grand ideals, a compassionate heart ready to forgive all sins, willing to bear hatred, pain, and the ultimate betrayal to lead everyone to a New Heaven, is skillfully crafted by Metatron. This legend will spread among the angels, inspiring them to follow their Supreme Archangel with renewed faith. They’ll believe in God again, more united than ever, ready to wield their flaming swords against Hell. Michael and Uriel will no longer oppose their new leader, and no angel will doubt this propaganda, as they lack the knowledge of manipulation, and they’ve been subservient for too long.

By then, Aziraphale has completed his function, whether he resists or tries to stop it. It’s too late, as the angels only need a legend, a prophecy to believe in. Aziraphale has become that legend through Metatron’s orchestration. Like Paul Atreides, he becomes an unwilling saint, a Messiah without a choice, manipulated by those behind the scenes like the Bene Gesserit or Metatron. They only need a story, someone to ignite faith for battle. Thus, Heaven has a battle-ready army with unprecedented resolve for the Great War between Heaven and Hell. Metatron has achieved his goal. Perhaps the protagonist of the “Second Coming” isn’t Jesus or any other son of the Almighty but rather the return of the once-militant Heaven, which banished the fallen angels to Hell. Heaven will return to Earth on Judgment Day with their Supreme Archangel, who understands humanity to commence the reckoning, wielding enough power to face his hereditary enemy, the First Sinner, the Serpent of Eden, new Prince of Hell, who betrayed him with a kiss…

It will be a terrifying prospect.

Aziraphale only wanted to bring Heaven to Crowley. And now, he has brought “Heaven” to everyone.

Nothing lasts forever, nothing IS forever.

And that’s Metatron’s recipe for creating a Messiah, by Heaven’s most powerful weapon – Faith.

END.

[myremnantarmy]

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

A New Heaven and a New Earth (Isaiah 65:17–25)

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

4 ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.

8 But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

9 Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. 12 The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height. 17 And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone:

The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

22 But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory. 25 Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.

26 And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. — Revelation 21 | Berean Standard Bible (BSB) Berean Standard Bible © 2016, 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. All rights Reserved. Cross References: Genesis 17:8; Exodus 25:8; Exodus 32:32; Isaiah 25:8; Exodus 28:17; Exodus 28:21; Deuteronomy 3:11; Psalm 72:10; Psalm 84:11; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 51:11; Isaiah 52:1; Isaiah 55:1; Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 60:11; Ezekiel 10:9; Ezekiel 40:2-3; Ezekiel 42:20; Ezekiel 48:31; Zechariah 2:2; Matthew 24:2; Acts 1:26; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 4:6; Revelation 17:4

[gibbish-anon-from-gell]

In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to av

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 mer

Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

God our Father ln Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Most honored of virgins, pray for us. Mother of Christ, pray for us. Mother of the Church, pray for us. Mother of divine grace, pray for us. Mother most pure, pray for us. Mother of chaste love, pray for us. Mother and virgin, pray for us. Sinless Mother, pray for us. Dearest of Mothers, pray for us. Model of motherhood, pray for us. Mother of good counsel, pray for us. Mother of our Creator, pray for us. Mother of our Savior, pray for us.

Virgin most wise, pray for us. Virgin rightly praised, pray for us. Virgin rightly renowned, pray for us. Virgin most powerful, pray for us. Virgin gentle in mercy, pray for us. Faithful Virgin, pray for us.

Mirror of justice, pray for us. Throne of wisdom, pray for us. Cause of our joy, pray for us.

Shrine of the Spirit, pray for us. Glory of Israel, pray for us. Vessel of selfless devotion, pray for us. Mystical Rose, pray for us. Tower of David, pray for us. Tower of ivory, pray for us. House of gold, pray for us. Ark of the covenant, pray for us. Gate of heaven, pray for us. Morning star, pray for us. Health of the sick, pray for us. Refuge of sinners, pray for us. Comfort of the troubled, pray for us. Help of Christians, pray for us.

Queen of angels, pray for us. Queen of patriarchs and prophets, pray for us. Queen of apostles and martyrs, pray for us. Queen of confessors and virgins, pray for us. Queen of all saints, pray for us. Queen conceived without sin, pray for us. Queen assumed in to heaven, pray for us. Queen of the rosary, pray for us. Queen of families, pray for us. Queen of peace, pray for us.

Blessed be the name of the Virgin Mary now and forever.

cy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he 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 h

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

ungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.

oid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God have mercy.My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior JHail, holy Queen, mother of Mercy. Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.Hail, holy Queen, mother of Mercy. Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.esus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God have mercy.My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God have mercy.My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God have mercy.My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God have mercy.My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name.Hail, holy Queen, mother of Mercy. Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary. My God have mercy.My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penHail, holy Queen, mother of Mercy. Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.ance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God have mercy.

[childofchrist1983]

Sometimes, we are so overwhelmed by a bad situation that all we can do is weep and mourn. Sometimes, our losses are so great, we wonder if our sorrow will ever end. We serve a God who will not turn away our weeping and mourning. He patiently bears with us as we pray through the pain, leading us in His time to comfort, to healing, and to new action.

May God Almighty and Jesus Christ give us peace knowing He is with us and that He a plan for our lives. May our belief in Him and His Holy Word and in His endless power and possibilities draw us and others to Him daily.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time daily to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

Father God Almighty, LORD Jesus, I bring You my pain, my sorrow, and my grief. Under the weight of loss, I come to You seeing comfort and rest. I want this pain to go away, but I don’t know how to make it stop. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me through the crying, and giving me refuge. Bind my wounds and give me new strength to rise up and keep going.

You are all-powerful and all-knowing and ever-present. You are sovereign over Your creation. You know our needs, our ailments, our struggles. We trust all of these things to Your loving care. With confidence, O Lord, we lean on You, Your Word and Your power as we ask for healing, strength, and provision, for You are more than able to meet all of our needs, even the impossible. Thank you for loving me enough to die on the cross for my salvation. Help me to live a life that honors You and Your Word and will, forever and always.

Help me to build my relationship with You and to live a life that honors You and Your Word and will always. For You have taught me the importance of developing a relationship with You. You have shown me the proper path to developing this relationship, and what You ask is simple: That I love You with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30, Matthew 22:37). Forgive me, Father God and Lord Jesus! I know that I can do better. I vow that with Your help, I shall do better and draw closer to You and praise You, good times and bad. I pray this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

You and Your Holy Word and Spirit give us hope, peace, salvation, and so much more! Let our relationship with You be the foundation and pleasing in Your eyes, so that we may hear Your praise as we gaze upon Your face and enter Your Kingdom. Lift our spirits and our hearts. Light up our lives, O Lord. May we abide in You for all our days and beyond!

You are Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! We know Your promises are true and we place our hope in You! May we continue to pray and seek You. Present us with daily opportunities to go to others with Your message of eternal salvation. May we live our lives with a spirit of thankfulness and may we always magnify You, O Lord. Allow our praises to You encourage others to seek Your face. Help us all to be humble and obedient to You. And help us to be courageous enough to seek You daily and to humbly and faithfully do our duty to You, spreading the truth of Your Gospel to all in all nations, as You commanded before You ascended back to Heaven (Mark 16:15-16). May our lives show the world Your light and Truth and that You are a loving God and Heavenly Father who delights in showing love and mercy. May we all be humbly and faithfully honored and excited to worship, glorify and serve You daily and to do Your will. You have been so good to us, far more than we as wretched sinners deserve. You are so good! So wonderful! Forever and always!

Thank you for keeping me and helping me in times where I am tempted to go astray. Praise be to You today and every day of my life and let me never forget all of the blessings that are given me by You. As much as the enemy will try, he will never be able to successful breed doubt about who You are, in the minds of anyone who truly believes and follows You. And I will follow and serve You all the days of my life and beyond! Thank you for the connection with You that we are given through Your Holy Word and Spirit. Thank you, O Lord, for all Your creation and Your miraculous ways. Thank you for being our stronghold and my refuge. Thank you for seeing us as worth the sacrifice. Thank you for sustaining us, loving us and defining us according to Your will and love for us. Thank you for making sure we are taken care of. Thank you for being the best friend we could ever have! Thank you for Your endless mercy and love that has saved us. Thank you for always protecting us and providing for us and for Your Spirit to help us when we are in need. Thank you for abiding within me and may I abide with You, my Lord. Thank you for giving us a chance to be saved from our sin and spend eternity with You. Thank you for adopting us as part of Your family in Heaven and making us one of Your own. Thank you for being our present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Thank you for always being near and for loving us. Thank you for giving us a reason to love others and so many more reasons to love, praise, serve and follow You. Thank you for Your selfless and sinless sacrifice. Thank you for Your guidance and protection. Thank you for Your Truth and light. Thank you for Your wisdom and strength and grace. Thank you for giving life to the world and to us. You give and take away – And we thank you for it. Thank you for everything! Your will be done! Blessed be Your mighty name! To You and Your Kingdom be the glory forevermore! In Your name we humbly pray, Amen and amen

[wisdomfish]

God’s plan to deal with evil

God’s plan to deal with evil is prepared for in creation but executed in redemption. Satan and his forces are already defeated foes with Christ’s first coming as Savior,

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. [Hebrews 2:14-15]

And all evil and human sin will forever be vanquished at Christ’s second coming as Judge and King.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very valuable stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on the gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length, width, and height are equal. And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, by human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. [Revelation 21]

~ Samples, Kenneth Richard. ‘Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions. p. 250

[heintzmagic]

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

22nd December >> Mass Readings (USA)

22nd December 

(Liturgical Colour: Violet: B (2))

First Reading 1 Samuel 1:24-28 Hannah gives thanks for the birth of Samuel.

In those days, Hannah brought Samuel with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said: “Pardon, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” She left Samuel there.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“My heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength. The well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The LORD puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again. The LORD makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“He raises the needy from the dust; from the dung heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust! Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 1:46-56 The Mighty One has done great things for me.

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for he has looked upon 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 remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[ave-immaculata]

MY SOUL PROCLAIMS THE GREATNESS OF THE LORD

MY SPIRIT REJOICES IN GOD, MY SAVIOUR

FOR HE HAS LOOKED WITH FAVOUR ON THE LOWLINESS OF HIS SERVANT

HENCEFORTH ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED

FOR THE ALMIGHTY HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR ME

HOLY IS IS NAME

[angeltreasure]

The Magnificat

The Prayer Of Mary

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,

he 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 remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.

(Lk 1: 46-55)

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

15th August >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Luke 1:39-56 for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mar: ‘The Almighty has done great things for me’.

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 1:39-56 The Almighty has done great things for me.

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ And Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him. He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy – according to the promise he made to our ancestors – of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

Gospel (USA) Luke 1:39-56 The Almighty has done great things for me; he has raised up the lowly.

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 upon 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 remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Reflections (13)

(i) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today’s feast celebrates Mary’s full sharing in the risen life of Christ. In the words of Mary’s prayer in the gospel reading, ‘the Almighty has done great things for me’. This feast also reminds us that the Almighty wants to do the same great things for all of us. In the words of today’s second reading from Saint Paul, we are all destined to ‘be brought to life in Christ’. Paul wrote to the members of the church in Philippi, ‘I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion’. God has brought his good work in Mary to completion in heaven. God’s good work was well underway in Mary before she came to share in Christ’s heavenly glory. We can see evidence of God’s good work in her in today’s gospel reading. When her older cousin, Elizabeth, was pregnant with John the Baptist and in need of support, Mary set out and went as quickly as she could from Nazareth to the hill country of Judah, even though Mary was pregnant herself with Jesus. According to the gospel reading, she ended up staying with Elizabeth about three months. God’s good work in our lives shows itself in the kind of loving service that Mary showed to Elizabeth. Whenever we go on a journey to support someone in need, God’s good work is coming to pass in us. In response to Mary’s opening greeting, Elizabeth asked, ‘Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?’ Mary physically brought the Lord to Elizabeth. We are all called to bring the Lord to others by our goodness and kindness, and whenever we do so we are honouring them. God’s good work in Mary also found expression in her prayer, which has come to be known as the Magnificat. Mary was a woman of prayer as well as a woman of loving service. Her loving service of others flowed from her life of prayer. Whenever we give time to God in prayer, God’s good work is finding expression in our lives. Our calling is to keep opening ourselves up to God’s good work in our lives, expressed in loving service of others and in prayer to God, so that God can do for us what he did for Mary, bringing his good work to completion in our lives, by leading us to share fully in Christ’s risen life.

And/Or

(ii) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We have all experienced, to some degree, the value of visiting others or being visited by them. We can probably think of times when we went on a journey to visit friends or family members. Such visits generally do us good. We come away the better for having made the visit. We might also be able to remember occasions when friends, neighbours, family paid us a visit and, again, we experienced it as a blessing.

In today’s gospel reading we hear the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Luke describes a visit that left both the visitor and the one visited greatly blessed. As a result of Mary’s visit Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and because of the way Mary’s visit was received by Elizabeth, Mary herself was filled with the spirit of prayer and praise, the Holy Spirit. Luke describes a visit that was truly life-giving for both women.

Elizabeth addresses Mary as ‘the mother of my Lord’. She recognized that in welcoming Mary she was welcoming the Lord whom Mary was carrying. Elizabeth was aware that the Lord was visiting her through Mary, and so she declared Mary blessed. That is why we too honour Mary. We recognize that it was through her that the Lord visited us. Later on in Luke’s gospel the crowds come to say of the adult Jesus, ‘God has visited his people’. The really significant visitation is God’s visiting us in the person of Jesus, and it was through Mary that this visitation came about. It was through this woman of Nazareth that the Lord visited his people and having visited us remains with us until the end of time. The first reading today speaks of the woman who brought into the world the son who was to rule all nations. We honour Mary because she was the gate through whom the Lord came to us. That is why, as she sings in her Magnificat, all generations have called her blessed.

Because she is the gate through whom the Lord first came to us, Mary has a unique relationship with the Lord. It is because of that special relationship with the Lord that she shares uniquely in his risen and glorious life. That is what we celebrate today on this feast of the Assumption. We celebrate Mary’s complete sharing in her Son’s triumph over death. In the words of Paul, in today’s second reading, she has been brought to life in Christ because she belongs to him in a special way.

What Mary has become, we hope to be. The great things that God has done for Mary is a pointer to the great things that God wants to do for all of us. She is, therefore, a sign of hope for us on ‘our pilgrim way’, as today’s Preface puts it. Mary’s life also indicates how we are to travel that pilgrim way. Like her, we are called to be channels of the Lord’s visitation to others. As Mary brought the Lord to Elizabeth, and to all of us, we are called to bring the Lord to each other, so that those who meet us might come to say, ‘The Lord has visited his people’. This is the best way to honour Mary and how she would want to be honoured. If we honour Mary in this way, we can be assured that, at the end of our pilgrim journey, the Lord will honour us as he honoured her. He will do the same great things for us that he has done for her.  Like her, we too will come to share fully in Christ’s risen life.

And/Or

(iii) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We can all think of occasions when we went on a journey to visit friends or family members. If we were well received and welcomed, the visit did us good. We came away the better for the visit. We can also probably think of times when people visited us. If we received them in a welcoming way, they would have departed blessed and graced by their visit to us. When we visit someone or when someone visits us, something worthwhile can happen. The Lord can touch our lives.

Today’s gospel reading tells the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Luke describes a visit that left both the visitor, Mary, and the one visited, Elizabeth, greatly blessed. As a result of Mary’s visit, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Because of the way Elizabeth received Mary’s visit, Mary herself was filled with the Spirit of prayer and praise that found expression in her great prayer, the Magnificat.

In response to Mary’s greeting of Elizabeth, Elizabeth addressed Mary as ‘the mother of my Lord’. She recognized that in welcoming Mary she was also welcoming the Lord whom Mary was carrying. Elizabeth was aware that the Lord himself was visiting her through Mary, and so she declared Mary blessed. That is why we too declare Mary blessed. We honour Mary because we recognize her as the one through whom the Lord came to us. As the human being though whom the Lord first visited us and came among us, Mary has a unique relationship with the Lord, and, because of that unique relationship, she shares uniquely in her Son’s risen and glorious life. That is what we celebrate on this feast of the Assumption, Mary’s complete sharing in her Son’s triumph over death. In the words of today’s second reading, she has been brought to life in Christ. Like Christ, she has been raised body and soul to the glory of heaven.

This feast is not only about Mary. It is also about ourselves. What Mary has become, we hope to be. The great things that God has done for Mary is a pointer to the great things that God wants to do for all of us. We believe that God will raise us too, body and soul, to new life after our own death. The doctrine of Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven brings home to us that our bodies are destined to be gloriously changed after death. How this will happen is utterly mysterious. We have tended to think of the soul and body as two separate things. At death, the soul leaves the body and dispenses with it, as it were. However, this is not the way that Jesus and his followers would have thought. For them, the soul and the body were distinct, but they were not separate. The body was understood as the material expression of the soul. In other words, when we look at someone’s body, we are looking at their soul in some sense. We often speak of the eyes being a window to the soul. As the soul expresses itself in a physical body in this life, it is the faith of the church that the soul will expresses itself in a glorious body in the next life, and that our future glorious body will have a very close relationship to our present physical body. We are only complete as soul and body, both in this life and in the next.

This way of understanding the human person as embodied soul has important implications for our attitude to our bodies. At the very least, it must mean that our bodies are fundamentally good. God saw what he had made and it was good. Within the history of Christianity there have been heretical movements that took as their starting point a dislike and disgust of the human body, regarding the body, and material reality in general, as deeply flawed and even evil. Such an understanding is contrary to what we find in the Scriptures. St. Paul, for example, reminds us that our bodies are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. If we believe that, through baptism our bodies belong to Christ and the Holy Spirit in a special way and that they are destined to share in eternal glory, it follows that we must treat our bodies and those of others with the utmost respect and, even, reverence.

Today’s gospel reading tells us that Mary brought the Lord to Elizabeth in an embodied way. She literally carried the Lord to Elizabeth in her body, in her womb. We too are called to embody the Lord, to allow the Lord to reveal himself to others in and through our bodies and how we use them. The Word who became flesh in Mary’s womb now seeks to become flesh in all of us who are members of Christ’s body, the church. Recognizing that the Lord comes among us in embodied ways inspires us to be concerned about the welfare of people’s bodies. When in today’s gospel reading Mary sings of God as one who exalts the lowly and fills the hungry with good things, she acknowledges God as one who is deeply concerned about people’s bodies, about their physical well-being. Today’s feast calls on us to make that concern of God our own, and to give expression to God’s concern in the way we relate to others, especially to those who are broken in body or spirit.

And/Or

(iv) Solemnity of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dragons are the stuff of children’s folk tales. They are there to be slain by the hero of the story. We find a dragon in the first reading for today’s feast, a huge red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns. The reading is taken from the Book of Revelation, a book full of vivid images and symbols. In this book the red dragon is a symbol of the Roman Empire; the seven heads of the dragon are suggestive of the seven hills of Rome. Over and against that very negative and destructive symbol or sign there is the other sign of a woman adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. This woman seems to be a symbol of the church. She gives birth to a child, the Messiah, whom the dragon wishes to devour as soon as it is born. This deadly conflict between the red dragon and the woman is the author’s way of giving expression to the conflict between the Roman Empire and the church at the time the book was written, especially in the Roman province of Asia to which the book is addressed, corresponding to the western part of modern day Turkey. Towards the end of the first century there was pressure on all inhabitants of the cities in that part of the Empire to take part in the worship of the Emperor. Those who failed to do risked hostility and even martyrdom. In that context the reading proclaims that the members of the church will be preserved from ultimate harm. The woman, the church, will be taken into the desert where God has made a place of safety ready. In the deadly conflict that is underway, the readers are being assured that the victory has already been won through the death and resurrection of Christ. He has triumphed over the powers of evil and death and they already share in that victory.

That brings us to today’s feast, the feast of the Assumption. Today’s celebrates the good news that Mary has come to share fully in Christ’s victory over sin and death. That is why the image of the woman in the reading has been understood from the earliest centuries of the church as an image of Mary in her risen glory, sharing fully in the risen glory of her Son. Today’s feast points us towards the mystery of the resurrection. On this feast of the Assumption we look to Mary as one who has been fully conformed to the image of her risen Son. We see in her our own eternal destiny. Our own sharing in the resurrection of Jesus begins at our baptism; we are baptized into Christ’s risen life. Baptism calls us to live this risen life here and now in preparation for that moment when we will live it to the full in eternity. Mary shows us our ultimate destiny, but she also shows us how to journey there. She shows us how to live our risen life here and now. The gospel reading for today’s feast features Mary as a young woman from the village of Nazareth still pregnant with her child, Jesus. Mary is portrayed there as a young woman who sets out on a journey of care. She wants to be with her older cousin Elizabeth so as to support her in her own pregnancy. Her journey is one we are all called to make as disciples of Jesus. Whenever we journey towards those who are vulnerable and in need we are giving expression in our lives to Mary’s visitation. When Mary arrived to Elizabeth and greeted her, her greeting caused the Spirit of God to stir within Elizabeth. Here again Mary models for us what it is to live the risen life of the Lord into which we have been baptized. We are to be present to others in ways that causes the Holy Spirit to stir within them. Mary’s loving way of being present to Elizabeth and to others was rooted ultimately in her faith. Elizabeth declares Mary blessed because she believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. She received God’s word of promise and in spite of some initial confusion she went on to trust that word completely. Again she models for us how to live our risen life here and now. Like here we are to take the Lord at this word; we are to entrust ourselves fully to that word and allow it to shape our lives. Saint Paul in one of his letters speaks about faith working through love. Mary’s faith found expression in love, a love that was life-giving for others. She models for us authentic faith. Her faith also found expression in prayer. According to our gospel reading, when Elizabeth declared Mary blessed Mary immediately deflected that blessing onto God; she acknowledged God as the source of her blessing, ‘the Almighty has done great things for me’. Her prayer is all about God, not about herself. She praises God for what God has done and is doing. Her prayer is a lesson in prayer for us all. Today, on this feast of the Assumption we celebrate Mary’s assumption as the ultimate goal of our earthly journey. We also celebrate her as the pilgrim who shows us how to journey towards that destiny.

And/Or

(v) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today’s feast of the Assumption declares that the end of Mary’s earthly life was really a beginning, the beginning of her powerful intercession in heaven for all of us. Her Assumption is the beginning of an era when all generations would call her blessed, in the words of Mary’s Magnificat. To say that Mary was assumed into heaven is not to say that Mary was spared the experience of death, which is the experience of all human beings, including Mary’s Son Jesus. Indeed, down through the centuries artists have depicted the moment when Mary died, with the disciples gathered around her. One striking artistic portrayal of Mary’s death that comes to mind is the one by the artist Caravaggio. Mary went through the experience of death, like every human being. The feast of her Assumption declares that she has come to share fully in the risen life of her Son. There is nothing incomplete about her glorious life. It is the teaching of the church that even though we may go to heaven after we die, there is something incomplete about our glorious state until the second coming of Christ when all of creation will be renewed. Today’s feast declares that Mary has fully arrived at the ultimate destiny of humanity.

We can see Mary’s Assumption as a special privilege for her, but we are also encouraged to see it as carrying a promise for all of us. She is the goal for the church and for every disciple of the Lord. In her we see what we are all called to be. Her assumption shows us our own destiny, and her earthly life shows us the path that leads to that glorious destiny. Mary’s Assumption was the conclusion of a life of fidelity. She was faithful to God’s call and God’s purpose for her life throughout her earthly existence. That faithfulness to God is clearly expressed at the beginning of Luke’s gospel where she is depicted as responding to God’s call with the words, ‘Let it be to me according to your word’. The remainder of her life was a living out of that surrender to God’s will, God’s call. She is the prime example of that group Jesus refers to as ‘those who hear the word of God and keep it’. Her ‘yes’ to God’s call and God’s presence found expression in a ‘yes’ to the call of those around her, especially those in need. In this morning’s gospel reading, we see Mary journeying to visit her cousin Elizabeth in her hour of need, and staying with her three months to be a support to her. At the beginning, of John’s gospel we find her responding to the need of the married couple and their guests, when the wine for the feast ran out, interceding for them with her Son. At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles we find her in the company of the disciples, supporting them in that moment of transition after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Her ‘yes’ to God always found expression in a ‘yes’ to others. Her life shows us that ‘faith in the Lord’ is always ‘faith working through love’, in the phrase of Saint Paul.

We look to Mary not just as the one who embodies the ultimate goal of our life journey and as the one who shows us how to journey but also as the one who intercedes for us along that journey. She is with us as we struggle to live lives of faith working through love. Something of the reality of that struggle is brought out by today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation. In that reading we have this great conflict between the woman and the dragon. We tend to interpret the woman there as Mary, and with good reason. She is referred to in the reading as the woman who brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations. We cannot but think of Jesus’ birth from Mary. Yet, many of the symbols in the Book of Revelation have more than one meaning and the woman in that text is also a symbol of the church. The church is called to give birth to Jesus in every age. The conflict between the woman and the dragon is a conflict between the church, the faithful, and evil in its various forms. We are reminded of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’. It is always the case that the dragon stands ready to devour the child, the image of Jesus that is within us. It is always a struggle to be faithful, to keep saying ‘yes’ to God’s purpose for our lives, and to live out that ‘yes’ in our relationship with others. Yet, in that struggle we are not alone. We are surrounded by what the letter to the Hebrews calls a ‘great cloud of witnesses’, all the saints, those living among us and those who have gone to their reward. Today’s feast reminds us that among that great cloud of witnesses Mary is pre-eminent. She supports us along the way, and she does so by leading us to her Son, saying to us, ‘Do whatever he tells you’. She calls on us, in the words of the letter to the Hebrews again, to keep ‘looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith’.

And/Or

(vi) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We can all be very slow to label someone evil, yet, at the same time, we all recognize evil when we see it. We have been very distressed at what has been unfolding in Northern Iraq in recent times. We recognize as evil the suffering inflicted on men, women and children, sometimes to the point of death, simply because of their religious beliefs. The atrocities that have been committed in the name of a warped form of religion can only be seen as evil.

The Scriptures are very aware of the presence of evil in the world. Sometimes forces of evil can be depicted in very graphic ways. We have an example of that kind of imagery in today’s first reading. The visionary, John, who was responsible for the book of Revelation describes a vision he had of two great signs. One of those signs was an imaginative depiction of evil, a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, whose tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and stood before a woman who was with child, ready to devour her child as soon as it was born. John probably understood this frightening figure of the dragon as a symbol of the Roman Empire. The dragon’s seven heads suggests the seven hills of Rome. John experienced this great power not as a source for good but as an embodiment of evil bringing chaos, destruction and death, and persecution for Christians.

Yet, there was another sign in this vision of John, a very different one. He saw an image of a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, with twelve stars on her head as a crown, crying out in the pangs of childbirth. The woman gave birth to a son and, although the dragon wanted to devour the woman’s child, he was taken up to God. Probably John would have understood this woman as a symbol of God’s people, the church. This woman, the church, gives birth to the risen Lord in every age, often in the face of great evil. According to the vision, God ensures that the work of the church in giving birth to Christ is protected from the deadly intentions of the dragon. The child is taken up to God, and the woman is brought by God to a place of safety in the desert. It is as if John is proclaiming, ‘Yes, there is terrible evil in the world, but God will see to it that his life giving work in and through the church continues and will never be overcome by evil’. In that sense, the reading invites us to look evil in the eye and not be overpowered by it, because, as Paul says in his letter to the Romans, ‘where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more’.

From the earliest decades of the church, believes began to recognize the woman in our first reading not just as a symbol of the church but also as a symbol of Mary. She is unique among men and women in that she has brought into the world a unique child, a child who belongs to God in a special way, who through his life, death and resurrection becomes Lord of all. She stands up against the power of evil in the world because she gives to the world someone who is totally good, who is God’s goodness in human flesh. Because Mary brought Christ into the world, she belongs to Christ is a special way. It has always been the belief of the church that, because she belongs to Christ in this special way, she shares in his risen life in a special way. Through her death she passed over into the fullest possible sharing in Christ’s risen life; her body, like Christ’s, was transformed and did not know corruption.

In Mary’s assumption we see our own ultimate destiny. We too will come to share fully in Christ’s risen life. As Paul says in today’s second reading, all who belong to Christ will be brought to life in Christ. Mary not only shows us our ultimate destiny; she also shows us by her life what belonging to Christ really means. Like her, we show that we belong to Christ by bringing Christ to others. This is what we find Mary doing in today’s gospel reading. She literally brought Jesus whom she was carrying in her womb to Elizabeth. She also brought the love of Jesus to Elizabeth by setting out on a journey of care to be present to Elizabeth in her hour of need. The woman clothed with the son of the first reading and the young woman of Nazareth in the gospel reading are, in many ways, world’s apart. Yet, in both readings, it is the same woman bringing Christ into the world, a world where evil often stalks. Mary models for us both our ultimate destiny but our God-given vocation. We too are called to be Christ bearers, people who bring his loving presence to others. We do so fully aware of the evil in the world, but, like Mary, we not allow ourselves to be overcome by evil because we believe that, in the words of today’s first reading, ‘victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ’.

And/Or

(vii) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Images can speak to us in a way that words alone do not. We only have to think of the great artistic depictions of the various mysteries of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. However, there are times when words can also paint a picture. A well written piece can create an image for us that can touch us very deeply. This is true of all good human literature. It can be especially true of the literature we call the Scriptures. We understand the Scriptures to be God’s word in human words. This is human literature that somehow has the quality of God’s Spirit about it. We believe that not only are the human authors of these Scriptures speaking to us but God is speaking to us through them. Very often the Scriptures can conjure up wonderful images. Perhaps this is why artists down through the centuries have been moved to transpose these written images into paintings.

Today, the feast of the Assumption, the readings put before us two very contrasting images of Mary. In the first reading, from the Book of Revelation, there is a very dynamic image of a woman in labour, and standing before her a red dragon waiting to devour her child as it born. She gives birth to her child but her child is preserved from the threatening dragon and is taken up to God and to his throne. It is clear from the description of this child that Jesus is being referred to. It is said of this child that he was a son who would rule the nations with an iron sceptre. This was one of the traditional ways that the Jewish Scriptures spoke about the coming Messiah. In the course of the church’s history, many believers immediately thought of Mary when they heard this passage. It was she who gave birth to the Messiah into a world that was hostile to him. We only have to think of the story in Matthew’s gospel of Herod’s attempt to kill the child. These hostile forces appeared to have destroyed him on Golgotha, but God raised his Son from the dead and highly exalted him, as Paul says. In the language of our first reading, this woman’s son was taken to God and to his throne. Here we have this picture of a woman in the splendour of the cosmos giving birth to a great ruler before hostile forces. It is a picture of vibrant colours and almost frenetic activity.

We have another picture of the same woman in the gospel reading which is very different. It is of a young, peasant woman, from small village in Galilee, heading south to a town in the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. This young woman, Mary, is with child. Luke, the evangelist, has already told us in the preceding passage that her child is to be very special. He will inherit the throne of his ancestor David; he will be conceived by the Holy Spirit and will be Son of God. There is continuity between the woman in the first reading and the woman in the gospel reading, in spite of their very contrasting portrayals. In both cases the woman brings a special child, God’s anointed one, into the world. In the gospel reading, Mary initially brings this child to her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth models for us all how we are to receive Mary’s child. Like Elizabeth, we are invited to recognize the visit of our Lord through Mary and to rejoice in and surrender to this wonderful visitation from God.

We celebrate Mary, as we are doing on this feast of the Assumption, because, in as the first reading and the gospel reading portray, she is the woman through whom the Lord has come to us. This gives her a unique relationship with Jesus. In virtue of that unique relationship the church has always held that Mary shares uniquely in the triumph of her Son over death. In the second reading, Paul speaks of Christ as the first fruits of all believers who will be brought to new life. It could be said of Mary that she is the second fruits. The first and second fruits point to a greater harvest to come, one that embraces us all. Mary’s assumption puts before us our own ultimate destiny. As the preface to today’s Mass expresses it, Mary is a ‘sign of sure hope and comfort’ to God’s pilgrim people.

As well as showing us our ultimate destiny, Mary also shows us the path to that destiny. Her unique calling was to bring Jesus into the world. We too are called, in our own way, to bring Jesus into our world today. The earliest interpretation of our first reading was to see the woman as an image of the church, of all of us who make up the church. We are to bring Jesus into the lives of others, to witness to him, even though it will often mean encountering opposition. Yet, as that first reading assures us, we do so knowing that God will protect and safeguard us in our efforts to allow his Son to come to others through us.

And/Or

(viii) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today’s feast celebrates Mary’s sharing in the risen life of her Son in a way that is unique to her among the human race. The church has always believed that just as Jesus’ earthly body did not remain in the tomb after he rose to new life but was transformed in a glorious way, so too Mary’s body underwent the same glorious transformation beyond death. In the words of the Preface of today’s Mass, ‘rightly you would not allow her to see the corruption of the tomb’. Mary had a unique relationship with Jesus in life. She carried him in her womb for nine months. Having given birth to Jesus she cared for and looked after him in the way that any mother cares for her child. She lived under the same roof as him for the first thirty years of his life. She was there throughout his public ministry, even if in the background. She was there with the other women and the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross. She was there with the disciples when the Holy Spirit came down upon them all at the first Pentecost. Just as Mary had a unique relationship with Jesus in life, the church has always believed that she had a unique relationship with him in death and beyond death. For that reason, the glorious women that features in today’s first reading has been interpreted from the early days of the church as a reference to Mary, ‘a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head as a crown’. It is likely that the author of the Book of the Apocalypse from which that reading comes was depicting the whole church as this woman. The conflict between the woman and the dragon was a symbol of the conflict between the church and the Roman Empire of the time. Yet, Mary expresses in herself all that is best in the church. The interpretation of that symbol of the woman as Mary is a legitimate one.

The church is the community of the Lord’s disciples, the community of believers. Mary is the complete disciple; she is the woman of exemplary faith. This morning’s gospel reading brings that home to us. There is a striking contrast between the glorious woman of the first reading, and the young woman of Nazareth heading south to the hill country of Judea to visit her older cousin Elizabeth. Yet, it is the same woman. The woman in glory in the first reading is the woman of faith in the gospel reading. Just prior to this scene in Luke’s gospel, Mary had given her full consent to God’s purpose for her life to the angel Gabriel, ‘Let what you have said be done to me’. God’s purpose for Mary’s life was for her to become the mother of his Son. This was such an extra-ordinary purpose that Mary could not possibly have fully understood all its implications at the time. Yet, she generously said ‘yes’ to all that God was asking of her. In her ‘yes’ she anticipated the opening petitions of the prayer that her adult son would give to his disciples, ‘Father, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as in heaven’. It was above all in Mary that God’s will was done on earth as it is in heaven. She was the first and greatest believer. In the words of Elizabeth in the gospel reading, ‘blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled’. Mary’s deep faith immediately expressed itself in love, as she set out on a journey to give support to her older cousin Elizabeth. Paul in his letter to the Galatians says, ‘the only thing that counts is faith, working through love’. All genuine faith in the Lord expresses itself in deeds of love for others. Mary’s ‘yes’ to God was at the same time a ‘yes’ to those in need. In visiting her cousin Elizabeth she brought the Lord to her whom she carried in her womb. She portrays our own calling as people of faith to bring the Lord to each other.

Mary’s faith not only found expression in deeds of love. It also found expression in prayer. Elizabeth had declared Mary blessed and, in response, Mary blessed God. She praises God in the great prayer that has come to be known as the Magnificat. Mary’s prayer is the prayer of a humble person. To be humble is not to make ourselves out to be less than we are. It is to acknowledge all the good that is in us while recognizing that all comes from God. This is what we find Mary doing. She proclaims the greatness of the Lord who has done great things for her. She recognizes that what God has done for her, a poor, lowly woman from an insignificant village in Galilee, is just the latest expression of how God has always exalted the lowly and filled the hungry with good things. Mary in glory reveals our ultimate destiny to us. Mary of the gospels reveals the path we are all called to take as we journey on our pilgrim way towards our share in the Lord’s risen life.

And/Or

(ix) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate what the gospel calls the great things that the Almighty has done for Mary, in bringing her to share in a unique way in the risen life of Jesus. Mary had a unique relationship with Jesus throughout her earthly life. She carried Jesus in her womb for nine months. Having given birth to Jesus, she cared for and looked after him in the way that any mother cares for her child. She lived under the same roof as him for the first thirty years of his life. She was there throughout his public ministry, even if in the background. She was there at the foot of the cross. She was there with the disciples when the Holy Spirit came down upon them all at the first Pentecost. Just as Mary had a unique relationship with Jesus during her earthly life, the church believes that she now has a unique relationship with the risen Lord in heaven. She has come to share fully in his risen life.

Mary’s relationship with Jesus in this life wasn’t so unique as to leave her remote from us. Yes, she was the mother of Jesus, but she was also a disciple of Jesus, and we are all called to be the Lord’s disciples. Her life shows us what it means to be the Lord’s disciple. Today’s gospel reading is Luke’s account of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Just before this gospel reading, we have Luke’s account of the annunciation to Mary. The angel Gabriel declared to Mary that God had chosen her to be the mother of his Son. After struggling to come to terms with what was being asked of her, Mary eventually declared, ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word'. Luke portrays Mary here as a woman of faith, who surrenders to God’s will for her life, God’s purpose for her life. It is this faith which Elizabeth recognizes in today’s gospel reading, ‘Blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled’. Mary believed and surrendered to God’s word as spoken to her by Gabriel. She allowed God’s word to shape her whole life. Later in Luke’s gospel, Jesus will say ‘my mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it’. Mary was above all a woman who heard God’s word and did it. This is the essence of faith. Through baptism, we are all called to such faith, and Jesus declares that those who, like Mary, hear the word of God and keep it, will become his brothers and sisters.

Today’s gospel reading gives us an insight into how Mary expressed her faith. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul declares, ‘the only thing that counts is faith working through love’, faith expressing itself in love. The faith that Mary displayed at the Annunciation immediately found expression in love. She made the long journey from Nazareth in Galilee to the hill country of Judah to be with her relative Elizabeth who was also with child. This is one of the ways our faith finds expression today. We journey to others in love. Mary brought the Lord to Elizabeth in a very physical sense, carrying him in her womb. Elizabeth recognized what was happening, ‘Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?’ When we journey towards others in faith and love, we too bring the Lord to them. The Lord wants to visit others through us, to speak to others through us. A little later in Luke’s gospel, when he is sending out the seventy on mission Jesus says to them, ‘whoever listens to you, listens to me’. The name ‘Christopher’ literally means Christ bearer or Christ carrier. Mary was the supreme Christopher and we are all called to be a Christopher in our own place and time, in accordance with our own qualities and gifts.

Today’s gospel shows that Mary’s faith not only found expression in love, it also found expression in prayer. At the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, Saint Paul calls on the church, ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances’. In response to Elizabeth’s greeting, Mary immediately praised and gave thanks to God. God was the horizon within which Mary moved. God was at the heart of all her human relationships of love, including her relationship with Elizabeth. In a sense, Mary exemplifies the two great commandments, to love God with all one’s being and to love our neighbour as ourselves. One of the ways our love of God finds expression is through prayer. Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat, has been prayed by believers down through the centuries.

If Mary exemplifies a life of faith that finds expression in love and prayer, she also shows where such a life ultimately leads. Those who follow this path, in the words of Paul in today’s second reading, ‘will be brought to life in Christ’. Mary shows us that all who bring Christ into the lives of others will be brought to life in Christ beyond this earthly life.

And/Or

(x) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today, we celebrate one of the great feasts of our Lady. Even though the Assumption of Mary into heaven was only proclaimed as a solemn teaching of the church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, the tradition of Mary’s Assumption into heaven had been part of the church’s living faith from the earliest centuries. Today’s feast celebrates the good news that because Mary belonged to Jesus in a special way throughout her earthly life, she now shares in a special way in his risen life. This feast does not celebrate a privilege of Mary alone, because where Mary now is, God wants all of us to be. We are all destined to share fully in the Lord’s risen and glorious life. In the words of Saint Paul in today’s second reading, ‘all will be brought to life in Christ’. The opening words of today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation has been understood as an imaginative depiction of Mary’s glorious life, ‘a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown’. Yet, at the same time, that first reading also brings home to us that Mary’s glorious destiny belongs to us all.

Whereas the woman in that reading has been heard as referring to Mary, the woman can also be understood as an image of the church. The reading depicts a conflict between the woman and the dragon. The dragon is a symbol of the Roman Empire. The dragon’s seven heads would have suggested the seven hills of Rome. At the time this book of Revelation was written, the church was under great pressure from the Roman society to worship the Roman emperor as the agent of the Roman gods. Because the members of the church refused to do so, they were always at risk of persecution. The woman, the church, is trying to give birth to Christ in that Roman world, but the dragon, the evil power that is behind the Roman Empire, stands ready to devour this child, this Christ who claims to be the ruler of the nations. It is an image of the church confronted by forces that are opposed to God’s purpose for the world. The woman signifies both Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, and the church who continues to give birth to Jesus in every age through the lives of its members.

Mary, in that sense, is an image of the church and, so, when we look to Mary, we can learn a lot about ourselves as church, as disciples of the Lord. In Luke’s gospel, from which our gospel reading is taken, Mary is portrayed as the ideal disciple. She embodies what we, as church, as disciples of the Lord, are called to become. Mary now only shows us our ultimate destiny, but also what it means to be a disciple of the risen Lord now. In the gospel reading, Elizabeth addresses Mary as ‘the mother of my Lord’. In that regard, Mary is unique. However, Elizabeth then goes on to declare Mary blessed because she believed the promise made to her by the Lord. In that regard, we can be like her. She was a woman of faith; she entrusted herself to the Lord’s word, ‘let it be to me according to your word’. We are all called to entrust ourselves to the Lord’s word so that it shapes our lives, as it shaped the life of Mary. In that gospel reading, Mary shows us what a life shaped by God’s word looks like. She went as quickly as she could to her older cousin Elizabeth, whose need was greater than Mary’s. It was a journey of love. Her was Mary’s faith expressing itself in the loving service of someone more vulnerable than herself. Saint Paul speaks about ‘faith working through love’ or ‘faith expressing itself in love’. This is what defines us as disciples of the Lord, a faith that finds expression in the love of others.

The second half of the gospel reading shows us that Mary’s faith also found expression in prayer. It reached out to others in love and it reached out to God in prayer. Her great prayer, the Magnificat, has become part of the Evening Prayer of the church. If our faith finds expression in love, it will also find expression in prayer. In her prayer, Mary comes before the Lord in her poverty, as his lowly servant, ready to receive from God all the great things that God wants to give. Mary teaches us that when we pray we always come before God in our need, with open hearts ready to receive all God has to offer us. Mary’s prayer also shows another side of her faith. It is a faith that hungers for justice for all, that wants God’s justice to become a reality on earth. She sings of a God who pulls down oppressive princes from their thrones and lifts us the lowly, the downtrodden, of a God who works to fill the hungry with good things at the expense of the self-satisfied rich.  Pope Francis is constantly reminding that our faith must be one that works for justice for all. Today’s feast celebrates Mary as one who not only shows us the glorious destiny that awaits us at the end of our life’s journey but also how we are to travel that journey as disciples of the Lord.

And/Or

(xi) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The belief in Mary’s assumption body and soul into heaven had its origin in the popular faith of Christians from very earliest times. Christians could not believe that Mary’s body could decay after the unique role she played in sacred history. As today’s gospel shows, she carried in her womb the King of kings and Lord of lords, which is why Elizabeth could greet her as ‘the mother of my Lord’. From the moment of Jesus’ conception in her womb, Mary became the mother of the one who, in the words of today’s second reading, would do away with ‘every sovereignty, authority and power’. Because her body carried and nourished the Lord of all, the faithful came to believe that Mary was bodily assumed into heaven. Even though the dogma of Mary’s Assumption into heaven was only proclaimed in 1950, the Assumption had been taught in the church for centuries as a truth that emerged from the faith of the people. Mary’s assumption points to what we believe God will do for us. We believe that our whole person, body and soul, will be raised to a new existence which will be a sharing in the Lord’s own risen life. In the words of today’s second reading, ‘all will be brought to life in Christ’. Mary’s assumption proclaims our own ultimate destiny as believers, as well as God’s desire for all humanity.  That is why, in the Preface of today’s Mass, we pray to God, ‘for today the Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven as the beginning and image of your Church’s coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people’.

As we travel on our earthly pilgrimage, we can look to Mary as the image of our ultimate perfection as members of the church, and, so, she is a sign of hope and comfort to us on our pilgrim way. There is a very close association between the ultimate destiny of Mary, which we celebrate today, and the ultimate destiny of the church, of each and every one of us. That is why the image in today’s first reading of the woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head, has been understood from the church’s earliest days as an image not only of Mary but also of the church, the community of believers.

May not only gives us hope about our ultimate destiny beyond this earthly life, but she also gives us hope in our struggle to live as the Lord’s disciples today. She speaks to our present life of faith as well as to our future life of glory. She shows us not only who we are to become in eternity but who we are called to be in this present time. In today’s gospel reading, Mary is portrayed as visiting her cousin Elizabeth in her need. She sets out on a journey to visit someone who needs her presence. We are told that she stayed with Elizabeth three months before returning home. She physically brought the Lord, who was in her womb, to Elizabeth, but, more fundamentally, she brought the Lord’s love to Elizabeth by setting out on this long journey of love. She shows us that our calling as the Lord’s disciples is to travel towards each other in love, and, in so doing, to bring the Lord to each other. Mary’s visit was a great blessing for Elizabeth. The gospel reading says that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, she was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. Mary’s visit brought the Holy Spirit more fully to life within Elizabeth. There is a wonderful image here of our own calling. We are to be present to each other in ways that allow the Holy Spirit to come more fully to life in each other. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, because of the ways we are present to each other, we were all that little bit more ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’?

Just as Mary’s way of being present to Elizabeth was a blessing for Elizabeth, so Elizabeth’s way of being present to Mary was a blessing for Mary. Because of the way Elizabeth received Mary’s visit, Mary’s heart was lifted in prayer. Elizabeth inspired Mary’s prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God. Again, wouldn’t it be wonderful if how we were present to each other somehow led to a deepening of each other’s prayer life. Mary’s prayer has become part of the official evening prayer of the church, but we can all pray her prayer at any time. It is a prayer that can give us hope in our struggle to live now as the Lord’s disciples. It speaks of a God who wants to do great things for all of us. If that is to happen, all God needs is something of Mary’s openness to God’s presence, something of her lowliness, her humble acknowledgement of her dependence on God. Mary sings of a God who can lift up such lowly people and who can satisfy their deepest hungers. Mary’s God is very much the God whom Jesus reveals by his life, death and resurrection. Such a God can keep us hopeful and joyful on our pilgrim way.

And/Or

(xii) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We have had wonderfully sunny weather recently. For billions of years, the sun has been giving out massive amounts of light and heat, and will continue to do so for billions of years to come. How does it continue to generate all that energy? I don’t know enough about the science of the sun to answer that question with any clarity. In today’s first reading, there is a vision of a woman adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head as a crown. Statues of Our Lady often depict her standing on the moon, with a crown of stars on her head. The sun element of the vision, ‘adorned with the sun’, doesn’t feature very often. For the author the woman in question was probably a symbol of the church. The woman faced with a second sign, the huge red dragon, was a symbol of the church faced with the oppressive power of the Roman Empire that stood ready to devour the church’s children. However, from the earliest years, believers also understood the woman as a symbol of Mary who, according to the reading, gave birth to a son who was to rule all the nations. It is a glorious image of Mary which is very suited to today’s feast of the Assumption.

The dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in 1950. In making this proclamation, the Pope was making official what had been the belief of the church for centuries. From earliest times, believers understood that because Mary had a unique relationship with Jesus, she must also have a unique share in his glorious life. As her body carried the Lord in her womb, now her body, her whole embodied self, reigns with the Lord in glory in a unique way. In other words, from earliest days believers understood that Mary’s death was an extraordinary event, befitting an extraordinary person. Because she belonged to the Lord in a special way, she already enjoys the fullness of new life with him. In the words of Mary in today’s gospel reading, ‘the Almighty has done great things for me'.

Today’s feast is not just about Mary. It is about all of us. The great things that God has done for Mary God desires to do for us all. The transformation that Mary now enjoys is the hope of us all. In the words of today’s Preface, Mary is a ‘sign of sure hope’. As Paul says in today’s second reading, ‘all will be brought to life in Christ’. Mary may have belonged to the Lord in a unique way, but we all belong to the Lord through our faith. Our belonging to the Lord does not cease with death. We will continue to belong to him in eternity, as we come to share in his risen life. That is the hope which our faith gives us, and Mary’s glorious assumption nurtures that hope. As God has done great things for her, we look forward in hope to the great things that God will do for us.

Yet, God is already doing great things for us here and now. At the beginning of his letter to the Philippians, Paul expresses his confidence that God who ‘began a good work among you will bring it to completion’. God’s good work is ongoing, within us and among us. What is God working to do in our lives in the here and now? Just as Mary’s glorious assumption shows us the completion of God’s work, Mary’s earthly life shows us what the good work God wants to do in our lives here and now looks like. Reflecting on Mary’s earthly life shows us the good work that God wants to do for all of us.

If the first reading gives us a glimpse of Mary’s glorious life, the gospel reading gives us a glimpse of her earthly life. The scene comes just after Mary said ‘yes’ to God’s choice of her. God chose her and, in response, she chose God, she opened herself up to God’s purpose for her life. Through Jesus, God has chosen each one of us, and, like Mary, we are invited to choose God by choosing Jesus. Her ‘yes’ to God’s choice of her created a space for Jesus to live within her. She invites us to make a safe space for Jesus to live within us. Insofar as that happens, God’s good work will be accomplished in our lives. Making space for Jesus in her life inspired Mary to visit her cousin Elizabeth in her need. When we create a space for the Lord in our lives, he will inspire us to visit our loved ones in their need, and even to visit total strangers in their need. According to the gospel reading, Mary’s making space for Jesus to live within her inspired her to pray, to acknowledge God as the source of all that was good in her life. Making space for Jesus in our lives will inspire us to pray in the same way Mary prayed, acknowledging our dependence on God for all that is good. Mary’s earthly life and her glorious assumption reveals to us God’s good work in our earthly lives and the completion of that work beyond this earthly life.

And/Or

(xiii) Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We can all think of occasions when we went on a journey to visit friends or family members. If we were well received and welcomed, the visit did us good. We came away the better for the visit. We can also probably think of times when people visited us. If we received them in a welcoming way, they would have left in some way blessed and graced by their visit to us. When we visit someone or when someone visits us, something worthwhile can happen. The Lord can touch our lives.

Today’s gospel reading tells the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Luke describes a visit that left both the visitor, Mary, and the one visited, Elizabeth, greatly blessed. As a result of Mary’s visit, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Because of the way Elizabeth received Mary’s visit, Mary herself was filled with a spirit of prayer and praise, uttering her great prayer, the Magnificat, a prayer that Christians have made their own through the centuries.

In response to Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth addressed Mary as ‘the mother of my Lord’. She recognized that in welcoming Mary she was also welcoming the Lord whom Mary was carrying. Elizabeth was aware that the Lord himself was visiting her through Mary, and so she declared Mary blessed. That is why we too - all generations - declare Mary blessed, why we honour her. We recognize that it was through her that the Lord visited his people and, having visited them, remained with them until the end of time. We honour Mary because she was the gate through whom the Lord came to us. As the one though whom the Lord first came among us, Mary has a unique relationship with the Lord, and, because of that, she shares uniquely in her Son’s risen and glorious life. That is what we celebrate on this feast of the Assumption, Mary’s complete sharing in her Son’s triumph over death. In the words of today’s second reading, she has been brought to life in Christ. Like Christ, she has been raised body and soul to the glory of heaven.

However, this feast is not only about Mary. It is also about ourselves. What Mary has become, we hope to be. The great things that God has done for Mary is a pointer to the great things that God wants to do for all of us. We believe that God will raise us too, body and soul, to new life after our own death. The doctrine of Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven brings home to us that our bodies are destined to be gloriously changed after death. How this will be is utterly mysterious. We have tended to think of the soul and body as two separate things. At death, the soul leaves the body and dispenses with it, as it were. However, this is not the way that Jesus and his followers would have thought. For them, the soul and the body were distinct, but they were not separate. The body was understood as the material expression of the soul. In other words, when we look at someone’s body, we are looking at their soul in some sense. We often speak of the eyes being a window to the soul. As the soul expresses itself in a physical body in this life, we believe that the soul expresses itself in a glorious body in the next life, and that our future glorious body will have a very close relationship to our present physical body. We are only complete as soul and body, both in this life and in the next. In any life we must be both. For this reason we believe that the life that God gives us after death will be a life of soul and body.

This way of understanding the human person as embodied soul has important implications for our attitude to our bodies. At the very least, it must mean that our bodies are fundamentally good. God saw what he had made and it was good. Within the history of Christianity there have been heretical movements that took as their starting point a dislike and disgust of the human body, regarding the body, and material reality in general, as deeply flawed and even evil. Such an understanding is contrary to what we find in the Scriptures. St. Paul, for example, reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. If we believe that our bodies, as the expression of our souls, are destined to share in eternal glory, and that, because of baptism, they belong to Christ and the Holy Spirit in a special way, it follows that we must treat our bodies and those of others with the utmost respect and, even, reverence.

Today’s gospel reading tells us that Mary brought the Lord to Elizabeth in a very embodied way. She literally carried the Lord to Elizabeth in her body, in her womb. We too are called to embody the Lord, to allow the Lord to reveal himself to others in and through our bodies, and how we use them. The Word seeks to become flesh in us. Recognizing that the Lord comes among us in embodied ways also means that we will be concerned about the welfare of people’s bodies. When in today’s gospel reading Mary sings of God as one who exalts the lowly and fills the hungry with good things, she acknowledges God as one who is deeply concerned about people’s bodies, about their physical well-being. Today’s feast calls on us to make that concern of God our own, and to give expression to God’s concern in practical ways. One way we are invited to do that this weekend is by contributing to the special collection for the people of Darfur in Sudan that replaces the Share collection at all the Masses.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[myremnantarmy]

𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lk 1:39-56

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,

“Most 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,

he 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 for ever.”

Mary remained with her about three months

and then returned to her home.

[tinyshe]

The Canticle of Mary, also called The Magnificat, appears below both in English and in Latin.

My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,

For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm:

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and exalted those of low degree.

He has filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich He has sent empty away.

He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;

As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,

et exsultávit spíritus meus

in Deo salvatóre meo,

quia respéxit humilitátem

ancíllæ suæ.

Ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent omnes generatiónes, quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est, et sanctum nomen eius, et misericórdia eius in progénies et progénies timéntibus eum. Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo, dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui; depósuit poténtes de sede et exaltávit húmiles. Esuriéntes implévit bonis et dívites dimísit inánes. Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum, recordátus misericórdiæ, sicut locútus est ad patres nostros, Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio et Spirítui Sancto. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculórum.

Amen.

“About the Canticle of Mary,

The Magnificat [Latin: magnifies], also called The Canticle of Mary, is recorded in the Gospel of Luke (1:46-55). It is the Virgin Mary's joyous prayer in response to her cousin Elizabeth's greeting (Luke 1: 41-45). This great hymn forms part of the Church's prayer in the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours). When it is recited as part of the Divine Office, it is followed by the Gloria Patri ("Glory be"). The traditional sung Magnificat is Latin plainchant. One of the hymn's most glorious musical renditions is the version of the Magnificat by J.S. Bach.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Magnificat as "the song both of the Mother of God and of the Church" [CCC 2619], and explains this prayer's significance:

Mary's prayer is revealed to us at the dawning of the fullness of time. Before the Incarnation of the Son of God, and before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, her prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father's plan of loving kindness: at the Annunciation, for Christ's conception; at Pentecost, for the formation of the Church, His Body. In the faith of His humble handmaid, the Gift of God found the acceptance He had awaited from the beginning of time. She whom the Almighty made "full of grace" responds by offering her whole being: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to Thy word". "Fiat": this is Christian prayer: to be wholly Gods' because He is wholly ours. [CCC 2617]

The above is taken from: http://www.wf-f.org/Magnifi.html  “

[achristopaganbreviary]

The Magnificat

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, he 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. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.