572. August 15, Assumption of Our Lady (III)

Meditations no. 503 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Our joy on the feast of the Blessed Virgin’s Assumption.

Mary has been taken up to heaven by God in body and soul, and the angels rejoice (Ad II Vesp. , Ant. ). Joy overtakes both angels and men. Why is it that we feel today this intimate delight, with our heart brimming over, with our soul full of peace? Because we are celebrating the glorification of our mother, and it is only natural that we her children rejoice in a special way upon seeing how the Most Blessed Trinity honours her.

It was on Calvary that Christ, her most blessed Son and our brother, gave her to us as our mother, when he said to St John: Behold your mother (Jn 19: 27). And we received her, along with the beloved disciple, in that moment of supreme grief. The Blessed Virgin embraced us in her suffering, as the ancient prophecy was fulfilled: And a sword shall pierce your own soul (Luke 2: 35). We are all her children, she is the Mother of all mankind. And now, the whole human race commemorates her ineffable assumption. Mary is welcomed to heaven: the Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son, Spouse of God the Holy Spirit. Greater than she no one but God.

From the first centuries, Christian tradition has found many fitting reasons for the Blessed Virgin’s Assumption, body and soul, into heaven. St John Damascene writes: It was fitting that she who in childbirth preserved intact her virginity should preserve without corruption her body after the conclusion of her earthly life. It was fitting that she who bore in her womb the Creator become a babe should dwell in the divine mansion. It was fitting that the Spouse of God be taken to the heavenly homeland. It was fitting that she who saw her Son on the Cross, suffering in her heart the pain she was spared in childbirth, should contemplate him seated at the right hand of the Father. It was fitting that the Mother of God come to possess what belongs to her Son, and be honoured as Mother and Handmaid of God by all creatures.

The certainty that the Blessed Virgin lives and reigns in heaven, and from there cares for each one of us, fills us with joy. It’s only natural that children rejoice over their mother’s happiness.

For a Christian, joy is a treasure. Only by offending God do we lose it, because sin is the fruit of selfishness, and selfishness is the root of sadness. Even then, a bit of joy survives under the debris of our soul: the knowledge that neither God nor his Mother can ever forget us. If we repent, if an act of sorrow springs from our heart, if we purify ourselves in the holy sacrament of penance, God comes out to meet us and forgive us. Then there can be no sadness whatsoever.

Christian joy is inseparable from the Cross.

Today, in union with the whole Church, we celebrate the triumph of the Mother, Daughter and Spouse of God. And just as we rejoiced at the resurrection of our Lord three days after his death, we are now happy that Mary, after accompanying Jesus from Bethlehem to the Cross, is next to her Son in body and soul, glorious forever.

Behold the mystery of the divine economy. Our Lady, a full participant in the work of our salvation, follows in the footsteps of her Son: the poverty of Bethlehem, the everyday work of a hidden life in Nazareth, the manifestation of his divinity in Cana of Galilee, the tortures of his passion, the divine sacrifice on the Cross, the eternal blessedness of paradise.

All of this affects us directly, because this supernatural itinerary is the way we are to follow. Mary shows us that we can walk this path with confidence. She has preceded us on the way of imitating Christ; her glorification is the firm hope of our own salvation. For these reasons we call her “our hope, cause of our joy.”

We can never lose hope of becoming holy, of accepting the invitations of God, of persevering until the very end. God, who has begun in us the work of our sanctification, will bring it to completion (cf Phil 1: 6). Because if the Lord is with us, who can be against us? After having not spared his very own Son, but rather turned him over to death for us, after having thus given us his Son, can he fail to give us every good thing? (Rom 8: 31-32)

On this feast, everything points to joy. The firm hope of our personal sanctification is a gift from God, but man cannot remain passive. Remember the words of Christ: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his daily cross and follow me (Luke 9: 23). Do you see? The daily cross. No day without a cross; not a single day in which we are not to carry the cross of the Lord, in which we are not to accept his yoke. Let this opportunity serve to remind us again that the joy of the resurrection is a consequence of the suffering of the cross.

But don’t fear. Our Lord himself has told us, come unto me all you who are burdened and labour, for I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light. And St John Chrysostom comments: “Come, not to give an account but to be freed of your sins. Come, because I don’t need the glory you can give me: I need your salvation. … Don’t fear if your hear me talk of a yoke, it is sweet; don’t fear if I speak about a burden, it is light” (In Matthaeum homiliae 37, 2 [ 57, 414]).

The way to our personal sanctification should daily lead us to the cross. This way is not a sorrowful one, because Christ himself comes to our aid, and in his company there is no room for sadness. I like to repeat with my soul filled with joy, there is not a single day without a cross-the Cross.

Optimism in the face of suffering is not naivete, but rather trust in our Lady’s example and protection.

Let us pick up again the subject proposed to us by the Church: Mary has gone to heaven in both body and soul, and the angels rejoice. L can imagine, too, the delight of St Joseph, her most chaste spouse, who awaited her in paradise. Yet what of us who remain on earth? Our faith tells us that here below, in our present life, we are pilgrims, wayfarers. Our lot is one of sacrifice, suffering and privations. Nonetheless, joy must mark the rhythm of our steps.

Serve the Lord with joy (Ps 99: 2)-there is no other way to serve him God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9: 7), the man who gives himself entirely with wholehearted sacrifice, because there is absolutely no reason to be disheartened.

We could think perhaps that this optimism is excessive. Are we not well acquainted with our shortcomings and failure? We are no strangers to suffering, tiredness, ingratitude, even hate. If we Christians are made of the same stuff as other men, how can we shake off the retinue of misery that constantly accompanies our human nature?

It would be naive to ignore the suffering and discouragement, the sadness and loneliness that meet us relentlessly as we go through life. But our faith has taught us with absolute certainty to see that life’s disagreeable side is not due to blind fate, that the destiny of the creature is not to rid himself of his desires for happiness. Faith teaches us that everything around and in us is impregnated with divine purpose, that all things echo the call beckoning us to the house of our Father.

This supernatural understanding of earthly existence does not oversimplify the complexity of human life. Rather, it assures us that this complexity can be shot through with the love of God, that beyond the disagreeable surface can be discovered the strong and indestructible link that binds our life on earth with our definitive life in heaven.

The feast of the Assumption of our Lady prompts us to acknowledge the basis for this joyful hope. Yes, we are still pilgrims, but our mother has gone on ahead, where she points to the reward of our efforts. She tells us that we can make it. And, if we are faithful, we will reach home. The Blessed Virgin is not only our model, she is the help of Christians. And as we besiege her with our petitions- Show that you are our Mother (Hymn, Ave maris stella)-she cannot help but watch over her children with motherly care.