Life of Mary - part 37
Marida Ignacio
Since this is just a summary, it may not have a lot of important and
essential details on what happened. It is then best, for those
interested, to not depend on my narration and so, read the book themselves.
-Marida
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The Life of Mary as Seen by Mystics
Compiled by Raphael Brown
ISBN: 0-89555-436-4
TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
P.X. Box 424
Rockford, Illinois 61105
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Chap.
37. The Assumption and Crowning
The Apostles, disciples and the Holy Women present realized that the Mother
of God had indeed left them that they felt intense sorrow and for some time
they prayed and wept silently. Then they arose and sang hymns in honor of
their departed Queen.
The radiant body of the Blessed Virgin was surrounded by her thousand
invisible angels.
Two servants were instructed to annoint and wrap her body in a shroud but
this did not take place because a supernatural light surrounded her body
that it could not be seen. St. Peter and St. John was summoned back to the
room and they heard angels singing: "A Virgin before the Nativity, during
the Nativity, and after the Nativity..." then they heard a Voice said:
"Let not this virginal body be touched!"
Thus, they carefully placed her light body in a plain wooden bier by
lifting her up at the ends of her robe. Then around the bier, they lit
numerous candles which stayed lit without being consumed.
The procession from the Cenacle to the tomb in the valley of Josaphat, near
the Garden of Gethsamani, was accompanied by all Christians, as well as
invisible angels, patriarchs, prophets and saints. Numerous miraculous
cures and conversions of Jewish and Gentile onlookers took place and people
perceived delicious fragrance and heavenly music following the passage of
her remains.
After the entombment, the mourners gradually dispersed except for the
Apostles and Holy Women who remained watching and praying before the closed
sepulcher wherein singing of angels continued to be heard.
In Heaven, the Lord conducted His Mother's pure soul at His right hand then
He said before the Blessed Trinity: "Eternal Father, it is right that to My
Mother be given the reward of a Mother. And since during all her life and
in all her works she was as like to Me as it is possible for a creature to
be, let her also be like to Me in glory and on the throne of Our Majesty."
God the Father approved this decree and so the Blessed Virgin's soul was
raised to the right hand of her divine Son and placed beside the throne of
the Holy Trinity.
The Lord then accompanied His Mother's soul to the sepulcher of her body and
her soul re-entered her body.
>From the tomb to Heaven, a triumphant procession preceded by angels, saints,
patriarchs...comprised the Assumption. When the Lord with His Mother at His
right side were back in Heaven, all angels seemingly chanted: "Who is this
that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delight, leaning upon her
Beloved?"
The Blessed Virgin, attired in a marvelous, sparkling robe, was welcomed by
the Blessed Trinity with a mystical embrace.
Then the Eternal Father announced to all those in Heaven: "Our Daughter Mary
has been chosen by Our will from among all creatures as the first in Our
favor and she has never fallen from the position of a true Daughter.
Therefore, she has a claim to Our Kingdom of which she is to acknowledge.
I crown thee lawful sovereign Queen.
The Incarnate Word declared: "To My true and natural Mother belong all the
creatures that I have created and redeemed. And of all things over which I
am King, she too shall be the rightful Queen."
Then the Holy Ghost said: "By the title of My only chosen Spouse, to which
she has faithfully corresponded, the crown of Queen is also due to her for
all eternity."
During the Queen's Coronation, a Voice from the throne said: "Our Beloved
and Chosen One among creature, Our Kingdom is yours. You are the Queen and
Sovereign of the Seraphim and of all ministering angels and of all the
created universe. We give you power, majesty, and dominion over it. While
filled with grace beyond all others, you humbled yourself to the lowest
place in your own estimation. Receive now the supreme honor which you
deserve, and participate in the sovereign power exercised by the Divinity
over all that Our Omnipotence has created. From your royal throne you shall
rule over Hell and earth and nature. Our own will shall ever be ready to
accomplish your will. You shall be the Protectress, Advocate and Mother of
the Church Militant. Whenever any of the children of Adam call upon you
from their hearts or serve you, you shall relieve them and help them in
their labors and necessities. You shall be the Friend and Defender of the
just and of Our friend. All of them you shall comfort, console, and fill
with blessings according to their devotion to you. Therefore We make you
the treasury of all Our graces. In you hands, We place the distribution of
Our grace and blessings. For We wish nothing to be given to the world that
does not pass through your hands. And We will refuse nothing that you wish
to grant. Whatever is Ours shall be yours, just as you have ever been Ours.
And you shall reign with Us forever."
All inhabitants of the Kingdom of Heaven, in compliance to this decree, paid
homage and obedience to their glorious new Queen and Sovereign. These
included St. Ann, St. Joachim and St. Joseph who were so joyous of the
righteous merits that Mary received.
Meanwhile...
St. Peter and St. John, who were still praying outside the sepulcher with
others, noticed that the heavenly music from inside ceased and the Holy
Spirit enlightened them to guess that the Blessed Virgin's body was taken up
to Heaven.
They debated whether to open up the tomb which they finally did upon consent
to St. Thomas's tears and begging, for having missed the funeral since he
just arrived from the Orient.
And so the three Apostles found out that the Blessed Virgin's body was not
there any longer and all that was left was her robe and mantle. St. Peter
announced this to those outside and everyone wept joyous tears upon the
realization that their Mother of God was given this special privilege.
St. Peter carefully folded her mantle and robe and took them with him.
After singing hymns of praise to the Lord and His Mother, they closed the
sepulcher. Having stood in silence while gazing at the sepulcher, an angel
appeared to them and said:
"Men of Galilee, why do you tarry here? Your Queen and ours is now living
body and soul in Heaven and reigning in it forever with Christ. She has
sent me to confirm you in this truth. And she recommends to you again the
Church, the conversion of souls and the spread of the Gospel. She wishes
you now to return to your ministry. From her throne, she will watch over
you and protect you."
---
The Blessed Virgin to St. Bridget of Sweden:
"One day while I was admiring the Love of God in a spiritual ecstasy, my
soul was filled with such joy that it could hardly contain itself. And
during that contemplation, my soul departed from my body. You cannot
imagine what splendor my soul perceived then, and with what honor the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost welcomed it, and with what a multitude of angels
it was carried upward.
"But those persons who were in my house with me when I gave up my spirit
fully understood what divine mysteries I was then experiencing, because of
the unusual light which they saw.
"Therefore, those friends of my Son who had been brought together by God
buried my body in the Valley of Josaphat. Countless angels accompanied it
then.
"My body lay entombed in the ground. Then it was taken up to Heaven with
infinite honor and rejoicing. There is no other human body in Heaven
except the glorious Body of my Son and my body."
--
-Marida (mar...@ecs.comm.mot.com)