First, I would like to thank all of you for your support and prayers over this past year. That is right. One year!
The last time I was able to preach was August 16, 2020, and in that year since I’ve been blessed by God through the hands of a great surgeon, my loving family & friends, a few wonderful physical therapists, and the prayers and support of you, my parish family.
So the good news is that God indeed is good all the time, and all the time God is good! The other good news for you, is that, these days, Deacon Greg can’t stand for too long… So I’d better get right to it!
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, arguably one of the most interesting parts of our Catholic Teaching. Why?
The Catechism offers that Mary, the Blessed Mother, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, Jesus Christ. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:
The Catechism offers us this to the Blessed Mother: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition, that is falling asleep in death, you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.
In today’s First Reading from Revelation, a woman appears “clothed with sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Who could this be?
· Some say that she is Israel itself, the nation from which the Messiah would come!
· Some add that she is also the Church, the New Israel and the mother of all the faithful, calling on us to keep the Commandments and bear testimony to Jesus!
· All of us know that she is the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Theotokos, The God-Bearer…
- In her Immaculate Conception, she was conceived without sin to be the Vessel of Christ.
- In the Annunciation of the Lord, the Angel Gabriel came to her to reveal God’s plan saying, “Hail favored one… do not be afraid!” Many have called her the greatest disciple, as her response to the Angel was “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” and that YES embraced her true purpose!
- In the Visitation, referenced in today’s Gospel, Mary set out to meet her cousin Elizabeth to share the Good News of Christ within her, moving Elizabeth to feel the life within her, our own St. John the Baptist, leaping for JOY!
- In Her Great Magnificat: Mary says, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…” as she rejoices and recognizes that God has looked upon her with favor, blessing her, and all generations to come, with true nourishment, strength, and mercy!
- At the beginning of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry, at the Wedding at Cana, Mary pointed to her Son and simply said, “Do whatever he tells you!”
- At the end of Jesus’ Earthly Life, from the very Cross of our salvation, Jesus said, “behold your mother.’ And from that moment, just like it was offered to John the disciple, we are called to take her into our home.
· Which brings us to today’s Feast of the Assumption: If she’s been joined with the Christ since the very beginning of God’s plan, and joined with Christ in her resounding YES to that plan, and joined with Christ in her very womb, and joined with Christ in the sharing of his love, bringing joy the lives of others, and joined with Christ at the beginning of his earthly mission, and joined with Christ as he offered her to us… DOES IT NOT FOLLOW THAT SHE SHOULD BE JOINED WITH CHRIST, CONFORMED TO HER SON IN THE COMPLETENESS OF THE RESURRECTION?
So what does that mean for us? EVERYTHING!!!
· It’s true that none of us were conceived in the same way as our Blessed Mother, but we are joined with Christ and cleansed from every sin, reborn in our Baptism, and forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!
· With Mary, the Mother of God, we are God’s children, gathered here to worship, called and sent to be like her, the greatest disciple, joined with Christ, willing to bring joy to others, enabling them to bring life and Good News into the world!
· As Mary was taken up to heaven to be with her Son, we too are reminded today, as Paul said to the Corinthians, that in Christ all shall be brought to life in the resurrection, joined with him forever!
So today I invite you to join Mary in remaining joined with Christ, recognizing your own potential to proclaim God’s greatness, and to remember his promise of mercy in the resurrection open to us all!
The last time I was able to preach was August 16, 2020, and in that year since I’ve been blessed by God through the hands of a great surgeon, my loving family & friends, a few wonderful physical therapists, and the prayers and support of you, my parish family.
So the good news is that God indeed is good all the time, and all the time God is good! The other good news for you, is that, these days, Deacon Greg can’t stand for too long… So I’d better get right to it!
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, arguably one of the most interesting parts of our Catholic Teaching. Why?
The Catechism offers that Mary, the Blessed Mother, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, Jesus Christ. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:
The Catechism offers us this to the Blessed Mother: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition, that is falling asleep in death, you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.
In today’s First Reading from Revelation, a woman appears “clothed with sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Who could this be?
· Some say that she is Israel itself, the nation from which the Messiah would come!
· Some add that she is also the Church, the New Israel and the mother of all the faithful, calling on us to keep the Commandments and bear testimony to Jesus!
· All of us know that she is the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Theotokos, The God-Bearer…
- In her Immaculate Conception, she was conceived without sin to be the Vessel of Christ.
- In the Annunciation of the Lord, the Angel Gabriel came to her to reveal God’s plan saying, “Hail favored one… do not be afraid!” Many have called her the greatest disciple, as her response to the Angel was “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” and that YES embraced her true purpose!
- In the Visitation, referenced in today’s Gospel, Mary set out to meet her cousin Elizabeth to share the Good News of Christ within her, moving Elizabeth to feel the life within her, our own St. John the Baptist, leaping for JOY!
- In Her Great Magnificat: Mary says, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…” as she rejoices and recognizes that God has looked upon her with favor, blessing her, and all generations to come, with true nourishment, strength, and mercy!
- At the beginning of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry, at the Wedding at Cana, Mary pointed to her Son and simply said, “Do whatever he tells you!”
- At the end of Jesus’ Earthly Life, from the very Cross of our salvation, Jesus said, “behold your mother.’ And from that moment, just like it was offered to John the disciple, we are called to take her into our home.
· Which brings us to today’s Feast of the Assumption: If she’s been joined with the Christ since the very beginning of God’s plan, and joined with Christ in her resounding YES to that plan, and joined with Christ in her very womb, and joined with Christ in the sharing of his love, bringing joy the lives of others, and joined with Christ at the beginning of his earthly mission, and joined with Christ as he offered her to us… DOES IT NOT FOLLOW THAT SHE SHOULD BE JOINED WITH CHRIST, CONFORMED TO HER SON IN THE COMPLETENESS OF THE RESURRECTION?
So what does that mean for us? EVERYTHING!!!
· It’s true that none of us were conceived in the same way as our Blessed Mother, but we are joined with Christ and cleansed from every sin, reborn in our Baptism, and forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!
· With Mary, the Mother of God, we are God’s children, gathered here to worship, called and sent to be like her, the greatest disciple, joined with Christ, willing to bring joy to others, enabling them to bring life and Good News into the world!
· As Mary was taken up to heaven to be with her Son, we too are reminded today, as Paul said to the Corinthians, that in Christ all shall be brought to life in the resurrection, joined with him forever!
So today I invite you to join Mary in remaining joined with Christ, recognizing your own potential to proclaim God’s greatness, and to remember his promise of mercy in the resurrection open to us all!
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