This Tuesday is the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. It is a holy day of obligation, meaning Catholics are required to attend Mass. The reason for this isn't just to honor Mary, but for us to understand what her assumption means for us. Unlike Jesus who ascended into heaven with His own power, Mary was taken up into heaven - body and soul - by God at the end of her life on earth. Jesus alone is our Savior but Mary is the example for us of perfect discipleship of Christ. God wants us to contemplate her life so that we too can better follow Christ in faith and faithfulness.
Monday evening, at the vigil Mass, we will hear: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" Mary did not experience the physical or spiritual sting of death. The physical sting of death we will each experience but it need not be the case for us spiritually, even if we experience the cross of suffering during the dying process. This was the case for many of God's holy people throughout the history of the Church. Death was simply a transition from this world to being face-to-face with God, which is what any true follower of Christ desires more than anything else. Maybe that thinking is not yet ours. Then we need to ask ourselves whether we really take time to be with God each day, to reflect on what He taught us, and to make whatever sacrifices necessary to live according to His teachings and commandments. This is what true discipleship entails.
When our love of God becomes greater than self and the enticements of this world, we find ourselves on the pathway of true discipleship. Jesus tells us this isn't the broad, easy road that leads many to destruction but the narrow, difficult path that leads to life. (Matt. 7:13-14) Mary correctly understood and wisely chose the narrow path that leads to life. Every day God was first in her life. She desired to do the will of God because she loved God and knew human wisdom falls infinitely short of God's wisdom. When we choose to know and love God, the path of true discipleship becomes clear, not necessarily easy but easier. In doing so, the "sting of death" is being overcome because we are being transformed. In this regard, the same Scripture passage tells that the sting of death is overcome, "…when that which is mortal clothes itself with immortality."
As Mary is assumed into heaven, it becomes obvious at that point, if not so already, that she who is mortal has clothed herself with immortality. This is not meant to be just a special gift to Mary, but it is God's will for each of us. We will not be taken into heaven like her, both body and soul, but one day body and soul will be reunited for each person. Will we have clothed ourselves in immortality? God offers this gift to each of us but ultimately we must put forth the effort to receive it. God will help us with His grace but He cannot do it for us. In a reference to this, Jesus tells us: "Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth," to the "…resurrection of life," or to the "… resurrection of condemnation." The difference between the two, of whether we are clothed in immortality, is doing the will of God as Mary models for us.
One of the prayers at Mass speaks about both the Blessed Mother's "lowliness" and yet her "surpassing glory" in heaven. When we stop to consider what is really being said here, we discover some of the beauty of Mary. She made a deliberate, conscious choice to be "lowly". She was content not being a person of popularity, prestige, or wealth because God was the center of her life. She experienced more in her relationship with God than the world could provide. She found in God the ‘pearl of great price’ and she looked no further. As a young girl, she discovered what takes many people a lifetime to discover, that popularity, prestige, and wealth can get in the way of our relationship with God. Sadly, some people never realize this.
Gratefully for Mary,
Fr. Miller