Saturday, August 15, 2015

Mary's Triumph over Death: The Feast of the Assumption



Today we celebrate the Assumption of our Blessed Mother into heaven.  Imagine going to heaven body and soul, not just soul!  Our bodies will join our souls/spirits at the end of the world, when Jesus comes in His second coming and all is restored to the Father.  The fullness of redemption will occur at that time.  However, today we celebrate the face that, at the end of her life here on earth, Mary was taken up to heaven body and soul. No way would God allow the body of the mother of His Son to undergo corruption.   Imagine the rejoicing in heaven when Mary comes through the eternal gates, so to speak. Imagine Mary’s joy as well as Jesus’  and that of the entire Trinity and all of the angels and saints. What a celebration!  But you know what, the Trinity and Mary and all the angels and saints in heaven rejoice, also,  when  our spirits/souls enter  heaven.  

Though I am here on earth right now enjoying the many ways in which God reveals Himself to me, I am eager for that moment when I will be born into eternal life. What a glorious day that will be for me, for those of my family—both my family of origin and my religious community family—when Jesus leads me through those “gates!”  Of course, I know that I have a lot of work to do in cooperation with grace before that great day of rejoicing. I also know that God is at work in me, in you,  every day to bring about the fullness of redemption in us, transforming sin in us into holiness, selfishness into generosity, deceit into honesty, pride into humility.

With Mary, we pray: “M soul proclaims the greatness of th4e Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant” (cf Luke 1: 39-56).

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