Saturday, August 15, 2015: (SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY) Readings for today: Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab / 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 / Luke 1:39-56:
Readings from: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081515-day.cfm (Pics from elsewhere on the internet)
Reading 1 - A reading from the book of Revelation (Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab):
God’s temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16):
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWdiZn2hDVk
R. (10bc) The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Reading 2 - A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:20-27):
Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for “he subjected everything under his feet.”
Alleluia:
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMbI3bou97w
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Mary is taken up to heaven;
a chorus of angels exults.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel - A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 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,
“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,
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 has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
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08/09/2015: : Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (Feast Day: August 15): For Catholics, the month of August is especially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, as well as to a number of saints. Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is a celebration of Mary in that when she died, her tomb lay empty, and the surviving Apostles and disciples of Jesus had a revelation that Mary was assumed into heaven, body and soul, having been born with an abundance of God's grace to the point that she was born without the stain of original sin, and accepted the will of God when she was called upon to carry the baby Jesus in her womb. Through her graceful nature, God became incarnate in the form of the son, Jesus, and humanity was saved through Jesus' self-sacrifice in atonement for our sins...the sins of humanity. It is because of Mary that Jesus performed his first miracle in public by changing water to wine at a wedding in which the wine had run out. Because of this close relationship, we as Catholics believe, and many can attest to, that devotion to and praying for intercession to Mary through her son, Jesus, leads to extraordinary action by God. Therefore, it is no surprise that we Catholics celebrate and believe in Mary being assumed into heaven, body and soul, after her earthly life was finished. This is evidenced in the Catholic tradition of keeping relics of the revered and the saints in the Church...there are no relics (pieces of bone, blood, or anything owned or touched by the saint or the revered person), and there is no gravesite to visit where Mary is buried...both of these examples are evidence that Mary was assumed into heaven because Catholics would flock to such places...just as they would to the places and burial sites of the saints...none exist for Mary, and for one as IMPORTANT as Mary to not have relics circulating in the Church and with no burial site (and no body at the burial site), and because of her importance in bringing Christ into the world, it is only natural to deduce that Mary has been brought into heaven, body and soul.
From: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1108&calendar=1
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
Feast Day: August 15
On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church.
We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In following centuries the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However, by the 13th century there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today it is celebrated as a solemnity.
Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testament, her Assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory.
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to belief in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.
Comment:
In the light of the Assumption of Mary, it is easy to pray her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) with new meaning. In her glory she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and finds joy in God her savior. God has done marvels to her and she leads others to recognize God’s holiness. She is the lowly handmaid who deeply reverenced her God and has been raised to the heights. From her position of strength she will help the lowly and the poor find justice on earth, and she will challenge the rich and powerful to distrust wealth and power as a source of happiness.
Quote:
“In the bodily and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the Mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as she is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, Mary shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Peter 3:10), as a sign of certain hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 68).