HOMILY FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
Mary, Model of Virtues
(Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a;10; Ps 45;1 Cor 15:20-26; Lk 1:39-56)
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Today we celebrate the solemnity of the assumption of Mary into heaven – a good occasion to reflect on the role of Mary in our lives.
If, as papal preacher Fr. Cantalemessa claims, imitation of Mary is as important as devotion to her, then it would be well to consider what it is about Mary we should imitate. May I suggest ten qualities of Mary we could emulate, as well as two special roles she plays in salvation history:
- Faith – As her cousin Elizabeth put it in today’s gospel, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Her openness to receive the message from the angel Gabriel, and her subsequent “fiat”, her “yes”, her act of total trust in God, stands for all time as an inspiring example for us, as was her total trust in Jesus to do something for the young newlyweds at Cana. She is also a model of contemplative prayer, as she “pondered in her heart” the mystery surrounding her son.
- Charity – Mary set out in haste to visit her also-pregnant cousin Elizabeth and spent three months with her, selflessly caring for her rather than focusing on her own pregnancy. At Cana, Mary was quick to notice the painful situation of the couple and to act on it to alleviate their embarrassment.
- Spirit-filled – at the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit came upon her, as it had hovered over the primal chaos (Tohu wa-bohu in Hebrew) of the first creation, signaling a beginning of a new creation through her. Just her presence was able fill Elizabeth with that same Spirit. Mary prompts us to be open to the fullness of the Spirit in our lives. She operated out of the level of the soul, which is why she could proclaim, “My soul rejoices in God my Savior.”
- Joy – Mary’s spirit rejoices in what the Lord has done in her and for her, and her presence causes John the Baptist to leap for joy in his mother’s womb. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and not a fleeting emotion like happiness that comes and goes. Like Mary, we can claim joy as our gift of the Spirit, a joy that will sustain us even in dark times as surely as it did for Mary during her sorrows.
- Self-esteem – Mary knew she was loved by God, blessed by God and that God was at work in her in wonderful ways. She simply accepted that as part of who she was, so she could without false pride or being pompous in any way, proclaim from now on that “all generations will call me blessed.” She is a model for us of the importance of self-awareness and self-esteem in our lives.
- Humility – Often considered the foundation of all virtues, Mary was the epitome of humility. She knew that all was being done for her and in her through the grace of God, and could readily admit that she was a lowly servant – inspiring us to have the same attitude before God and others.
- Forgiveness – Mary at the foot of the cross was not screaming and protesting the innocence of her son. She was a strong biblical woman, taking in all that negative energy and believing that somehow God would turn it to something positive, which God did in the resurrection. Mary at the foot of the cross was doing what Jesus was doing on the cross, forgiving those who were crucifying him.
- A sense of justice – We may not be used to seeing Mary as a woman of justice, but the Magnificat assures us that she is. “He casts down the powerful from their thrones and lifts us the lowly” are radical enough words that this hymn was banned as subversive by the government in Guatemala during the civil unrest there. Mary encourages us to be fair and to work for justice in our society.
- Integrity – Mary knew who she was and stood strong in her truth as a daughter of Abraham, in a long line of his descendants living in the promises that God had made with them over the ages.
- Gratitude – Despite the fact that she was destined to undergo the traditional seven sorrows, Mary’s life was one of profound gratitude for all that our loving Father was accomplishing in her life, hopefully instilling in us that same sense of being blessed and loved.
Regarding her role in salvation history, Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant. As the Old Testament Arc containing the Torah was the focus of Jewish spirituality, now Mary becomes the Ark of a New Covenant because she bore Jesus, the Word made flesh, and gave him to the world. The intimate covenant relationship that God always wanted with God’s people now takes on a whole new and even more intimate, profound dimension through this handmaid of the Lord.
Finally, as attested to by John’s vision in the Book of Revelation, Mary is in heaven, gone before us, our spiritual mother, experiencing already what we will experience in the Parousia, when all things will be made new and brought to their fulfillment. As such she is a source of hope for us, a hope that is grounded in her present reality.
The Eucharist is a foretaste of that banquet in which Mary participated as part of the early Church, and experiences now as a heavenly banquet. May our celebration of this Eucharist in honor of her glorious Assumption into heaven inspire us not only to greater devotion to her, but also to imitate her more closely in all the ways she modelled for us while here on earth.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
