Our Ministries
13 Aug

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Answer to How is YES!

The Assumption of Mary into heaven is a celebration of the completion of her earthly life. She who bore Christ in her womb was raised body and soul in glory to be with God. This feast celebrates the end of Mary’s long life.

In contrast, the Gospel reading celebrates her youth—her amazing capacity to risk, to trust that God had great plans for her. She named her limitations—and she said YES! Her visit to Elizabeth is not unlike the visits that many of us have when as young persons we seek the guidance of our wise, more experienced elders. We discover that we need both, we need each other. In that visit, Mary’s joy is expressed in what we have come to know as the Magnificat. In that prayer, Mary shows what God has done for the poor, the outcast, and the stranger.

As we seek to imitate Mary’s holiness, how are we called to give hope to the lowly, food to the hungry, and to repair all that is broken in our planet and in our justice systems?

No matter our age or our ability, God continues to call all of us to boldly work to make the world a better place. Think of poverty, climate, starvation, justice, equity, peace! Like Mary, let’s look ahead to what we can do to make a difference. In many ways, the young continue to look to the elders. And the elders discover the promise of a future in youth. Mary’s question “How can this be?” is “YES!”

Listen to David Kauffman’s “Behold” here:

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