The Solemnity of the Assumption
[Scripture Readings: Rev 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; 1 Cor 15:20-26; Lk 1:39-56]
My brother-in-law has a trait many people have, especially Irish people. I
call it greatness by association. Like the man in St. Louis who brags about
living across the street from the man who ran the elevator for the Pope during his
visit to St. Louis. I can hear him telling his friends, “Remember that shot
showing the Pope coming out of the elevator? I know the guy who runs the
elevator!”
Well, my brother-in-law had a great uncle who was president of Loras College
many years ago — Fr. Gorman. When he would visit here with my sister and his
family, he would bring the kids to the Loras campus to the hall in the
administration building where the pictures of the Presidents hung. He would stand before
Fr. Gorman’s picture and say, “Here is your great great uncle!” Of course,
the kids couldn’t have cared less. But he was trying to hand on some sense of
family pride—a little bit of fame by association.
On one visit, he took the kids to Loras as usual and much to his dismay all
the pictures had been replaced by abstract drawing by the art students—circles,
squares and triangles! The kids were older then and had a good laugh at his
expense. Times change and progress is made, but he for one did not see this as
progress. Acceptable art for one generation may not appeal to another
generation.
When the dogma of the Assumption was declared in 1950 “the” artistic
representation was a painting by Murrilo. It comes from the age of triumph and doesn’t
exactly reveal much of the mystery to us. Like it or not, we bring our modern
eyes, our modern understanding to this feast day.
There are certain descriptions of the Assumption that leave us cold. Even to
describing Mary as more than human—beyond our reach. Received into the glory
of the heavenly court and the detailed description of this court doesn’t do
much for people who couldn’t care less about royal courts of a bygone age.
So how can this feast speak to us? How can it enlighten us and encourage us
on our journey? How can it become part of our story—our family heritage and
pride?
In the past 30 or 40 years, the West has discovered icons. You see them
everywhere. For example, the present issue of Worship magazine has a copy of the
Dormition—the name given our feast in the East. The icon tries to convey Mary’s
simultaneous falling asleep with her passing into the life of God. A prayer
from the Greek liturgy, quoted in our new Catechism of the Catholic Church,
speaks of the mystery this way. “ . . . in your Dormition you did not leave the
world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life.“1 “Joined
to the source of life.” This is something we all hope for. It is our
destiny—our calling—our heritage. It is what humans were created for.
Mary is the first to complete our journey—the first to pass into the Father
on the merits of her Son and our Savior. She is out family pride—our greatness
by association.
Falling asleep into God is a beautiful image that speaks to us. Where do we
go each night when we fall asleep? There is a scripture passage that says, “I
sleep but my heart watches.” Our spirit never sleeps. Our body seems to die in
sleep and one day it really will, but our spirit at that moment will pass into
God. Everything of faith will become vision. We will know as we are known.
Mary’s life on earth is a model of our life of faith and love. Her life in
Heaven is our hope of life after death in God.
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Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption Preached by Fr. Brendan Freeman, Abbot [Scripture Readings: Song of Songs 2:1-3, 8-14; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56]
This, of course, refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, not Sr. Columba. But maybe for today Mary would share it with Colum! I remember as a boy my mother listening to a radio program called, “Queen for a Day.” Colum is queen today and blessed among women and men! As I was reflecting on today’s Gospel I realized how much Mary learned about herself from others. The Angel Gabriel told her she was chosen by God and a whole list of other things. Elizabeth said she was blessed among women. What a charmed life. But if you follow Mary through the New Testament it does not appear to be very charmed. She is spared none of the hardships of life. What St. Benedict calls the “dura et aspera,” the hard and difficult things that are part of everyone’s life. Mary is certainly elevated. She is the Mother of God, after all. But in our day and age elevation is not so appealing. What appeals to us is her humanness—her motherhood, her discipleship. Mary has to come to self knowledge just like the rest of us and today’s Gospel gives us an insight. Others are telling Mary who she is. Now I know modern psychology says it is not healthy to get your identity from others but we all do. How else would we know who we are?
Just look around. There are her family and relatives who came a great distance to be here. We want to remember especially her parents who gave her life and passed on the faith to her. Her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews—all her blood relatives. Think of it, the same blood flowing through many lives—the same love holding them together as a family. Then there is Mother Agnes, the Abbess of Wrentham, the Abbey where Colum learned how to be a Cistercian nun. They gave her a very definite identity. They taught her how to act and think as a monastic. Then she brought that to Iowa and for eioghteen years led this community and laid the foundations of a solid Cistercian Abbey that is able to pass on our heritage. I should mention here Dom Bernard Johnson as representing our Order since he was our Procurator General in Rome for many years. It is fortuitous that he is serving as chaplain just now. There are many of Colum’s personal friends here today. All of us are influenced by our friends—probably more than we know. But this is not a one way street. Colum has touched many lives for the good. She has helped many people through hard times. I think of B.J. Weber. He might still be trying to play rugby in Dubuque instead of ministering the Gospel in New York if it weren’t for Sr. Columba. Then there are the monks of New Melleray—out in force today to give our support and share in the festivities. We have always had a great relationship with our sisters—not just a good relationship, but a great relationship. Sr. Columba started it and Mother Gail has built on it. Finally, there is Colum’s own community. Her sisters in the Spirit, some of whom have lived with her for almost fifty years. About this special relationship I would like to borrow words from Dorothy Day, the founder of The Catholic Worker. She says, “Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship.” We have all known the long loneliness; we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community. This community loves Colum and she loves them. What more needs to be said.
No one can achieve a golden anniversary without at some time or other experiencing the long loneliness. And no one can touch us at that depth except the one who calls us into being each day of our life. The one who says, “Arise my love, my lovely one and come. See the winter is past, the rains are over and gone.” Sg. of Sg. 2:11. We hear these words in our deep hearts’ core now in faith, one day in vision. One day everything confused will be clear and we will know as we are known and love as we are loved. We will all be joined to the source of life. | Hermanoleon Clipart.
The Solemnity of the Assumption[Scripture Readings: Rev 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; 1 Cor 15:20-26; Lk 1:39-56]
If you have been reading the newspapers lately or feature article in
Now we all know the Church will survive. The Church is not finished.
So much of our daily Eucharist calls us to our final glory. Just after The Solemnity of the Assumption> |
Today we are celebrating Sr. Columba’s Golden Anniversary of profession. Look at all the people here who are a part of this celebration because they are part of her life. In a real sense they gave her identity. So we are not celebrating just one person’s achievement but the achievement of a whole family of people centered on Sr. Columba. People who made this day possible. A wonderful diversity of people.
I remember when the sisters came in 1964. What a thrill it was to work over here. It was a thrill and fun and it got us out of being around men all the time. I like to think we had something to do with making this day happen.
One last word. Colum began her religious life on the feast day that commemorates the end of Mary’s journey on earth. The Assumption of Mary. The Greek Fathers call this feast the Dormition of Mary. The sleep like death of Mary which is a passing into new life. Their prayer says, “in your dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life.”
Today we celebrate the culmination of Mary’s existence, her assumption