There are two sets of readings for the Feast of the Assumption: one set for the Vigil Mass and the other for the Day of the feast. Both of the gospel passages come from St Luke’s gospel, who is the gospel writer that gives most information about the mother of Jesus.
This feast celebrates Mary’s sharing in the resurrection of Jesus already. She shares now in what we will all share when we go to God. She is a sign of what is to come for all of us.
The point that St Luke makes about Our Lady is that she was attentive to the word of God and let it penetrate her, let it shape her life despite any other plans she may have had.
In the gospel of the day, we have the account of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant. Luke stresses that this was no easy feat – she had to go into the hill country of Judah. Mary travelling over those hills is an interesting image because it was over those hills that the ark of the covenant travelled when it was being brought to the temple in Jerusalem.
Now the ark of the covenant was the focus of God’s presence among his people, so Luke is implying that here we have another ark of the covenant – a focus of God’s presence – in the pregnant Mary. Mary is the ark of the covenant of the New Testament. In her pregnancy, she is the focus of God’s presence among his people; she is bearing Emmanuel, God-with-us.
A part of the story of the visitation is Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s praise: the Song of Mary, the Magnificat. She rejoices in God her Saviour. She directs our attention not to herself but to the Lord.
All of the churches in our parish have a link to Our Lady, some more directly than others. Our Lady of Good Counsel, that is Mary who gives us good advice which we can find in the things she says in the gospels. Our Lady of Victories: Mary in the Magnificat rejoices in the victory of God who has come to the rescue of his people and will deliver them from death. Our Lady of Perpetual Succour: Mary our helper, Mary the one who travels over the hills to go to the help of her aged cousin who is pregnant. Holy Redeemer: Mary gives her very self over to the Lord in order that the Redeemer might find flesh in our world. All Hallows: we have many saints (hallows = holy people), but Mary’s holiness is above that of all other saints. She is the one who is full of grace.
We celebrate this feast of Our Lady as we do with her other feasts because it was she who gave human flesh, real humanity to Jesus.
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