Today we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the event we ponder when we pray the Fourth Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary. At the end of her life, Mary was taken to Heaven, “assumed,” body and soul. Since she was preserved from the effects of original sin, and she remained without sin her whole life, she did not suffer the most terrible consequence of sin, namely death. She is still physically and spiritually alive today in glory, together with Jesus her Savior and her Son.
There is no biblical account of Mary being assumed into Heaven, so on this feast day we turn to the Gospel of the Visitation – the event that we ponder when we pray the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. We reflect on the words of Elizabeth and Mary in light of what would only later be revealed about Mary’s destiny. What they say to each other is no mere customary exchange of greetings between cousins, but rather a celebration of the work of God in their lives.
We can imagine how their encounter unfolded: Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age; her husband Zechariah is mute due to his refusal to believe what was told to him in the temple during his priestly watch. Suddenly young Mary knocks on their door – and their lives and the life of their unborn son, John the Baptist, are changed forever. Elizabeth had no natural way of knowing that Mary was with child. It was revealed to her by the Holy Spirit. As the Gospel tells us, “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?’” Just as the Holy Spirit gave a revelation to Elizabeth about Mary’s maternity, so he has revealed to the Church the truth of her Assumption into Heaven. This is the work of the Spirit, to guide us into all truth (cf. Jn 16:13).
In her response, the Magnificat, Mary speaks not only about her own experience of the “great things” the Lord has done for her, but also about his fulfillment of his “promise of mercy” to all the spiritual children of Abraham – including all of us. Thus, we can make the Magnificat our prayer as well. With Mary we can say, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; / my spirit rejoices in God my savior / for he has looked upon his lowly servant.” For the Lord has had mercy on us; he has filled us with good things, and he has come to help us. Yes, he is a God who is faithful to his promises. Truly, “the Almighty has done great things for me, / and holy is his Name.”
When Mary speaks about God “lifting up the lowly,” she is not thinking of being assumed into Heaven. However, her words are prophetic. God will lift her up because this is what he always does for his lowly servants. The lowlier we are before him, the more he can raise us up in glory. Mary is the best example of how God acts in the lives of those who are poor in spirit. The more closely we follow her, the more he will draw us upward by his grace and mercy.
This is not only a promise for the unknown future; God is already lifting us up. Truly, the Almighty has already done great things for us. St. Paul proclaims this in today’s second reading, where he tells us that because Christ has been raised from the dead, he has conquered sin and death. At the end of time he will hand over “the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power,” and “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” His victory over death shines forth in the raising of Mary, even bodily, to eternal glory. In her we see what the reading from Revelation states: “God’s temple in Heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.” The ark of the new covenant is symbolic of Our Blessed Mother.
Mary is the perfect response to God’s love. She is the model for us to follow in this life: to respond to God’s call with a firm “yes,” to love others with tangible charity, to remain faithful during excruciatingly difficult times when we do not understand what God is doing, to trust completely in his plan despite all the hardships and confusion. What is the reward? Eternal life with God who loves us so much that he wants us to share glory with him forever. This is a life greater than we can imagine: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). Eternal peace and happiness is God’s goal for our life. We see his plan for us already fulfilled in Mary, whom we hail as full of grace!
What are some of the great things God has done in my life? What is my response of gratitude for all these gifts? In what ways do I “magnify” myself, and in what ways does my soul “magnify” the Lord?
Excerpt from The Anawim Way, Volume 21, no. 6. More information about The Anawim Way may be found here.