The Assumption of Mary

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Assumption, devotion, Mary Mother of God, Pope Pius XII, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transition

I rarely think about the last days of the life of Mary, Mother of Jesus. It couldn’t have been easy for her to live through the events that precipitated the death of Jesus and the aftermath – having him back and then gone again…Tradition offers some theories about the end of her life: e.g., that she lived out her days in or near Ephesus or Jerusalem and that John “the beloved disciple” took her into his home, but nothing is certain. The dogma of the Assumption of Mary (that she was, at her death, taken “body and soul into heaven”) was promulgated (dogmatically defined) only in 1950 in an encyclical by Pope Pius XII but has been traditionally believed and taught especially in the Orthodox Church since the 6th century.

Whatever our personal beliefs and relationship with Mary, she is the “go-to” person for people the world over. Women, especially mothers and pregnant women, are comforted by their prayers to her. Men, as well, use the rosary as their daily prayer. There are devotional groups – Sodalities, Legion of Mary – religious orders and more, dedicated to her and places of pilgrimage that witness to miracles through her intercession.

Having had a beautiful mother of my own – one whose name was Mary and whose devotion to her was deep – my image of the mother of Jesus is easily conjectured in her daily life. Loving, caring of her children, worried sometimes, patient, always teaching by her manner of life…and blissful at transition to divine life with God at the moment of her death, I give thanks for this day, this feast of life.

Feast of the Assumption

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Assumption, Assumption of Mary, humble, Jesus, Mary Mother of God, motherhood, The Magnificat, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

We Christians honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with many feasts and many personal devotions. We celebrate her as Queen of Heaven and have doctrines – like the one we proclaim today: the Assumption of Mary into heaven – which declares that unlike all other humans, she was taken bodily to heaven at the time of her death. This feast has been a tradition in the Church since the sixth century but only became doctrinal (believed as true by the institutional Church) in 1950, proclaimed by Pope Pius XII.

I often think of Mary and wonder how she would have handled all the titles we give her and all the homage that is paid to her. A humble maiden, I believe she would only have endured all the fanfare if certain that people understood it was/is prompted by the gift of her motherhood of Jesus. I wish there was more evidence from the Scriptures of the relationship between Jesus and Mary, as well as words from her about her role in salvation history. The gospels give us only 13 texts directly involving her (if I’m recalling correctly the information in Sister Elizabeth Johnson’s Book, Truly Our Sister).

Today’s gospel is – for me – the most perfect choice for this feast because it paints a picture of Mary as a conflicted teenager seeking the support of an older kinswoman during her early months of pregnancy, a normal thing to do, especially because she was as yet unmarried. At the same time, when she is with Elizabeth sharing the news of her impending motherhood, we have what has come to be known as “The Magnificat,” the declaration of how God has favored her as “most favored” among all women. (LK 1: 39-56)

Mary is quick to praise God when Elizabeth recognizes Mary’s situation (“Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”) and sees herself as God’s “lowly servant” while recognizing that she will “from this day” be called blessed by all generations. “the Almighty has done great things for me,” she says to Elizabeth, “and holy is his Name.” I can just see her bowing as she speaks those lines, taking no credit for worthiness but accepting that she has been chosen for this role, not knowing the future and what it holds…

The lesson for us is, I think, the same – perhaps not in scope but in willingness. No matter our age or situation in life, if we have yet to say “yes” to God’s choice of us, today may be the day to do so. If we have accepted our role in God’s plan, may we be reinvigorated in the living out of our call to carry Jesus in all we do, just as we are able each day.

The Real Mary of Nazareth

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Assumption, Blessed Mother, catholic, courage, cross, Elizabeth Johnson CSJ, faith, joy, Mary, morals, Pope Pius XII, Scripture, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, theology, truly our sister, wonderful mother

In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared a feast celebrating Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as a dogma of the Catholic faith. There are many feasts of Mary and this one was not a new thought; it’s reality had been celebrated by Christians with rituals from as early as the sixth century. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven is, ironically, something “assumed” since there is no concrete evidence of the fact that Mary, like Jesus, was taken body and soul into heaven at the time of her death, because of her esteemed role in the birth and life of Jesus in this earthly realm. It is one of those instances that the Church follows the sensus fidelium, a time when “from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals.” The Pope was, in a sense, just certifying what people had believed and practiced for centuries.

More recently than this proclamation has been the publication of an extraordinary book by Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ entitled: Truly our Sister: Mary in the Communion of Saints. I say it is extraordinary because of Sister Elizabeth’s exhaustive study of both the theology and the Scriptural evidence of Mary’s life. The added section on life in Nazareth in the first century of Christianity grounds our knowledge and appreciation of Mary as “one like us” who was a true human being, a mother who raised her child with all the worries of every mother, and then some. Mary’s joy was extreme as was her suffering and her service to us a blessing that calls for the gratitude of all. The wonderful conclusion of Sister Elizabeth’s work, therefore, is that Mary is totally approachable, not at all out of the reach of any of us. She is a model for us, but not in the manner of “Superwoman” – rather more like a wonderful mother, or “truly our sister.”

Let us honor her as such and think of her, as today’s gospel tells it, as running to share the news of her pregnancy with her kinswoman, Elizabeth, with all the awe and fear it held for her. Let us see her in the home of Elizabeth, a refuge from her confusion about how her life will unfurl, listening to stories and gathering her courage to return home to face what awaits her. And let us follow that life to the cross and beyond, wondering about her last days and the mix of emotions that must have been hers in those days until she was taken to her true home in peace. May we hold her in our hearts today and celebrate her willingness to be God’s presence in this world.

 

 

 

 

 

An Enduring Legacy

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Assumption, birth, Catholic Church, courageous choices, exile, God's will, Luke, Magnificat, Mary, Messiah, Pope Paul VI, poverty, say yes, Second Vatican Council

Today the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, into heaven. It is one of many feasts observed by Catholics the world over – in both Eastern and Roman rite – and gives pride of place to the woman who said yes to the call of God to bring Christ to the world in the most significant way possible: by birth. In the renewal of the past half century, begun at the Second Vatican Council, we have come to appreciate Mary in perhaps more expansive ways. What I mean is that if we do indeed recognize her as a young woman (probably still a teenager) who lived in a small village in the Middle East, perhaps illiterate and certainly not privileged in any social way, her “yes” to God seems as extraordinary as it always has, but with one additional understanding that generations rarely if ever conceded – or even considered. This seemingly ordinary, humble young woman who cooperated with grace in an uncharacteristic way is the same girl who responded to the recognition by her kinswoman Elizabeth that she was carrying the Messiah with the following words:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…From this day all generations shall call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me…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…(LK 1:39-56)

Commenting on Marialis Cultus, Pope Paul VI’s apostolic letter on Mary, Elizabeth Johnson writes that the Pope “describes Mary as a strong and intelligent woman, one who has the wits to question back when the angel addressed her, one who experienced poverty and suffering, flight and exile. In the midst of these troubles she consistently gave active and responsible consent to the call of God, made courageous choices, and worked to strengthen the faith of others….In the most quoted passage from this letter, the Pope then declares that far from endorsing the particulars of Mary’s own life as exemplary, the Church proposes her to the faithful as an example to be imitated: not precisely in the type of life she led, much less for the socio-cultural background in which she lived and which today scarcely exists anywhere. Rather, she is held up as an example for the way in which, in her own particular life, she fully and responsibly accepted God’s will (see LK 1:38), because she heard the Word of God and acted on it, and because charity and a spirit of service were the driving force of her actions…(#35)“

Johnson concludes that “what has a permanent, universal, exemplary value is the way she walked the path of her own life before God, which can instruct and inspire people’s own creative responses in this new era. We can be inspired by her because we are all human together. Mary is ‘one of our race,’ ‘a true daughter of Eve,’ indeed (as Pope Paul says) ‘truly our sister, who as a poor and humble woman shared our lot’ (#56).”

Greatly Blessed

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Assumption, Elizabeth, gratefulness, Luke, Mary, mindfulness, Mother of Jesus, opportunities, presence, sacred space, The Magnificat, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is the traditional feast for Christians of the Assumption of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, into heaven where she reigns as Queen. As I have grown in years and in my knowledge of Scripture, I often think that Mary might be uncomfortable with that title. While it is true that Luke’s gospel for this morning quotes Mary proclaiming, in what has come to be known as The Magnificat, “From this day, all generations shall call me blessed,” she clearly gives the glory to God for every honor that has come to her. (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon my lowliness…”) It is also true that the setting for this speech of Mary is the home of her kinswoman, Elizabeth, to whom she has fled upon learning that both of them are pregnant – Mary the teenager and Elizabeth the older woman, past the normal age for bearing children. It is only Elizabeth (no great crowd) that hears the words from Mary’s mouth about the favor of God. (LK 1:36-52) I love to think of them in Elizabeth’s kitchen, perhaps preparing a meal, sharing their fears and misgivings over their unexpected physical state but grateful for the presence of one another as trusted companions. It must have been a great comfort for both, but maybe especially for Mary as her situation was even more weighty than that of Elizabeth.

Presence in time of need is a precious gift, one of which I was quite mindful this week as I shared the family waiting room at the hospital where my sister had a hip replacement on Thursday. It was a quiet place, a kind of “sacred space,” but one where the entire room breathed deeply and gratefully each time a doctor appeared to share good news. It also extended beyond the hospital as other relatives and friends who had pledged prayer were waiting as well. I had a long list of texts to write in the end, many of which received immediate responses to my “great success” messages at the good news.

Today I hope to be mindful of the importance of the many opportunities to be present to the people I encounter, with the purpose of helping them to recognize the importance of who they are and what their presence can mean to stranger, friend or family for this woman who is feeling greatly blessed.

Celebrating Mary

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Assumption, Dormition, fidelity, Luke, Magnificat, Mary, say yes to God, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned very infrequently and sometimes with only a passing sentence in the Christian Scriptures, she has been at the center of devotion for many Christians over the centuries. Today is the feast of Mary variously known as Dormition, Passing, or Assumption that commemorates her passage “body and soul” from this life into eternity. Mary was very young when she was chosen to be the mother of the incarnate God. She knew very little of what her life would be like, but after her “yes” to the invitation of God, it seems that she grew into the role with humility and grace. The song of Mary when she visited her cousin Elizabeth early in her pregnancy, recounted in today’s gospel (LK 1: 39-56), is called the Magnificat. In it, she speaks of God’s choice of her, a lowly young woman, in a prophetic and powerful voice. Through the One to be born of her, God would change the world, toppling the proud and strong and raising up the hungry and powerless.

We celebrate Mary today and all the people who have said a heroic “yes” to the God who is still working in the world to make the vision proclaimed by Mary a reality. We celebrate Mary today for her strength and fidelity, her perseverance and willingness and ask that we may be ready – each time God calls – to answer with a resounding YES to the task at hand.