FEast of the Assumption Reflection

[Rev. Bob]

Commemorating the Dormition or Assumption of Mary
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Mission_S...@msn.com

I want to begin by thanking all who have included me in their prayers
for my anniversary and for all the affirming messages I received. I
received many messages of thanks for this ministry.
It is heart warming and uplifting to know that your humble attempt to
serve Almighty God is being received and making a difference. Your
prayers give me sustenance and courage to do my best in the service of
God by proclaiming His mercy and love for all people and God’s desire
for all His children to come home to Him and actively participate in
the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church and claiming their place
through Baptism within the Mystical Body of Christ.
These words from Luke’s Gospel chapter 11 verses 27-28 of the vigil
mass for the Feast of the Assumption or the Dormition (Falling Asleep)
as celebrated in the Orthodox Churches.
“As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and
said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But
he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep
it!” The feast commemorates the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary is
known as the Assumption because of the tradition that her body did not
decay but that she was raised up, body and soul, into heaven. This
tradition was already present in the sixth century; by the beginning
of the twentieth century it was widespread
The feast is especially meaningful to me since it was on the feast
that I was ordained a priest in Washington DC. Almighty God
deemed that Our lady should come into this world free of original sin
so that she would be a pure receptacle within which Our Savior Jesus
Christ would be conceived in. God also allowed, according to
tradition, that her body would not decay and allowed her the very
special honor of being taken up into heaven body and soul.
When the angel Gabriel, informed her that she had been chosen to bear
the promised of the ages. Mary responded with apprehension but with
affirmative words “Let it be done unto me according to thy will”.
In our lives, we often are faced with challenges or situations where
we have great apprehension but after prayer, we feel that what we are
facing is God’s will. Do we respond with “Let it be done according to
thy will O Lord”? or do we complain because it is difficult?
If only each of us could only become more like Mary, accepting of our
lives as God has chosen for us and then go about and make the best of
them by doing and living our life with the only purpose being to bring
greater honor and glory to God.
The Gospel for the Feast of the Assumption has the beautiful words
Mary spoke to her Cousin Elizabeth. When Elizabeth praises Mary for
her faith, Mary proclaims the following words which are called today
THE MAGNIFICAT. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my
spirit exults in God my savior; because he has looked upon his lowly
handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me
blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his
name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
according to the promise he made to our ancestors of his mercy to
Abraham and to his descendants for ever.”
At the funeral of Eunice Shriver Friday it was pointed out how she
revered Our Blessed Mother and considered her the first champion of
woman’s rights and one of her role models along with Mother Teresa of
Calcutta. Mrs. Shriver had a deep devotion to Our lady and told people
they should emulate Our Lady in their lives by serving God and all His
children with no exceptions.
The words that Mary is supposed to have responded to her cousin
Elizabeth known as the Magnificat is not restricted to the Roman
church but is also prayed in the Eastern, and many protestant
denominations.
Is it any wonder that God would treat the mother of our lord and
savior with special honors and not allow the body that bore Jesus to
be corrupted but would call her to Himself body and soul. All those
who die in Christ will eventually be reunited with their mortal
remains at the final judgment. God just allowed Mary to bypass what
we all will go through before we are reunited with our souls in the
Kingdom of God with all the angels and saints in the presence of the
Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit and Our Blessed Mother.
Let us prepare ourselves to be welcomed by God with these words “Well
done my good and faithful servant” and honor Our heavenly mother Mary
by serving one another in this life by practicing the Corporal Works
of Mercy: To feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the
naked; house the homeless; visit the sick; ransom the captive; and
bury the dead. If we live our lives by doing these things , which as
we were reminded at the funeral of Eunice Shriver, we will most
certainly be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom and we will have
emulated Mary and all the saints. I can think of no greater way to
honor and celebrate this feast of Our Lady or of living our life in
the service to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. AMEN