Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven

“Being the Mother of Life,

Mary was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb”

(Kontakion for the Dormition).

The Blessed Virgin was so open to God that she became the Tabernacle of the Living Word. She was a vessel of love for the Only-begotten Son and the Church, His body. Her whole being manifested God’s grandeur by embracing the role assigned to her in the plan of salvation with extraordinary love and courage. In celebrating her assumption into heaven, the church presents the humble maiden of Nazareth to the world as a figure of hope, goodness, courage, mercy, and justice. How rightly Dante speaks of her as “humbler and loftier than any creature” (Paradise XXXIII,2).

Today we join our voices with those of the heavenly choir as they welcome the vessel of devotion who gave birth to the King as she is carried into heaven in the hands of her Son. Pope Pius XII shared these thoughts as he declared the dogma of the assumption. “And so, we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father’s will and to bringing good to others.” Bathed in the light of her Son, Mary reflects that light to a world cloaked in darkness and under the shadow of death.

The Mother of the Church is described in the Book of Revelation. She was clothed with the sun because of her union with Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. The moon is under her feet because she reflects the glory of God that shines on the face of Son. Upon her head is a crown of twelve stars manifesting the glory of salvation to the whole world. In her assumption, Mary participates in her Son’s paschal mystery, is drawn near to the heart of the Father, and is consumed with the Fire of divine love. As the Mother of Life, Mary continues to exercise her maternal role on our behalf in the celestial city, the heavenly Jerusalem.

Hymn to the Theotokos

It is truly right to bless you, O Theotokos,

ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God.

More honorable than the Cherubim,

and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,

without defilement, you gave birth to God the Word.

Saint Luke has gifted us with a record of Mary’s Hymn of Praise. In the Song of Her Heart, we learn how God reveals the splendor of his beloved Son in her life. She was fed on God’s word. She was consumed by God’s word. When she spoke, she spoke with God’s words. She so pondered God’s words, that her thoughts were God’s thoughts. With her words, Mary prepared the ground where her Son would sow the seed of the kingdom. As the Mother of Hope, she speaks to us of the fidelity of our God. The Handmaid of the Lord is the mouthpiece for divine love. Her virginal womb is the gate through which the Way, the Truth, and the Life entered our world. Her love and compassion for her crucified son show us how to be present to the sick, the orphaned, the widowed, and the poor. With Mary, we learn to care for one another.

Mary’s greatness lies in the fact that she knew herself to be God’s lowly handmaid. She believed in God and surrendered her whole being to his will. The more she surrendered to God’s will, the more he filled her with his life-creating Spirit. Mary’s humanity is attracted by the Son in his passage from death to life. She, who followed him faithfully throughout her life, followed him with her heart, and entered with him into the Father’s house. She who had been the dwelling place for the Eternal Word was taken body and soul into His heavenly dwelling. Because she is with God and in God, who is close to us, the Mother of God continues to be close to each one of us.  

In giving birth, you preserved your virginity;

in falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos.

You were translated to life, O Mother of Life,

And by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death.