Model of Faith

The Feast of the Assumption

Today (15/8), we celebrate The Feast of the Assumption- The commemoration of the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Dormition, or falling asleep, as it was known in the East) is known as the Assumption because of the tradition that her body did not decay but that she was raised up, body and soul, into heaven. How did a simple Jewish woman come to be exalted as the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven? Its all God’s grace. This is what we are celebrating today. Unlike what Protestants may think of us, we are not celebrating the glory of Mary in herself but we are celebrating the wonderful works of God and his abundant grace, seen and proven in this person, Mary. Mary is assumed into heaven only because of God’s grace. It is God’s grace that is able to transform a humble and simple person like Mary into the person whom we admire today. Therefore, on this Feast day, it is God whom we are glorifying and praising. To criticize this feast and to reject it would be to cast doubts on the power of God to do the impossible.

The Feast of the Assumption proclaims several messages of faith and hope.

First, it is during this feast that we come to affirm our faith and hope that we, who are believers in Christ, will share in the resurrection of Christ. We can believe in the resurrection because it has already happened in the person of Mary. She is proof that the resurrection is a reality and not a mistaken and naive human wish that there is life after death.

Second, the Feast proclaims the goodness and beauty of our physical bodies. Mary is assumed into heaven not only in spirit/soul. She is assumed both body and soul into heaven. The body is not evil. The body is not the cause for our sinfulness. The body is created by God. It is a good, a precious gift to be cherished and guarded with care. We must then respect our physical bodies and the bodies of other person. Physical and sexual abuse, drugs, smoking, drinking, gluttony, inadequate rests violate the sanctity of the body.

Third, the Feast proclaims the unity of the body and the soul. A body without a soul is a lifeless object/thing. But a body with a soul is a person. He or she is a person. He or she deserves respect and dignity. If we forget the spiritual dimension of the person and only think of him as a physical body, we would soon start treating him as an object/thing to be used, abused and discarded when no longer useful to others and society. To remember that the person is a unity of the body and soul is to remember that he is sacred. To say that a person has a soul is to say that life will not end even when he experiences physical death. The body may decay but the soul continues for eternity. And because there is life after death, we should begin to invest in what happens for eternity rather than focus all attention on what is temporary – our present riches.

In today's Gospel reading,  Elizabeth, Mary's kinswoman, expressed this well when she exclaimed: "But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Lk 1:43) She called the Baby in Mary's womb "Lord," that is, she called Jesus "God."

Today, on this special feast day, Mary is visiting us as she visited Elizabeth. Mary is a walking tabernacle. She brings Jesus to us, or, more precisely, she brings us to Jesus. The purpose of this holy day is not so much to praise Mary as to praise Jesus with Mary by proclaiming the greatness of the Lord and finding joy in God our Savior (Lk 1:46-47). Mary's purpose in mothering us is to call us to do whatever Jesus tells us (Jn 2:5). She is happiest when we worship and live for Jesus alone.

Mary is a model of faith and hope for us. And she is among "the first-fruits" of "all those who belong to Jesus" and who share in his triumph (1 Corinthians15:20-24). There is a venerable tradition dating back to the early church which marks Mary's "falling asleep" (called the Feast of Dormition in many Eastern churches) and her heavenly birthday when she was received into heaven. Her reception into heaven is seen as a sign to all believing Christians of the promise Jesus made that we too would be received into paradise. At the last supper Jesus told his disciples that he would prepare a place for them in his Father's house. "And when I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:3).

What enabled Mary to grow in faith and to persevere in hope in the face of obstacles and trials? The Gospel of Luke reveals the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in Mary's life. When Elizabeth and Mary greeted one another they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God's promise to give a Savior. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she believed that God would fulfill the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favor of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to renew your faith and hope in God's promises and to make you strong in love for God and your neighbor.

Our love of Mary should lead us ultimately to love of her son, Jesus. She brought Jesus into this world. Jesus has brought her into the next life. We too join Mary in praising God and giving thanks to him for the wonderful things he has done in our life. Most of all, we join Mary in thanking God for giving us his Son, Jesus.