Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1-6, 10 / 1 Cor 16:20-26 / Luke 1:39-56
The statue of our Lady that is in the front is a restored statue.
Until recently, it was kept away at the loft of the church. But if we had seen the statue before the restoration we would know why it was kept away at the loft and away from public view.
Among other reasons, it was quite poorly painted over and hence not suitable for public veneration.
There was also not much information about the origins of this statue and what was its purpose, besides the fact that there is already another similar statue of our Lady which is now at the side altar.
But in the course of the restoration, there were some discoveries.
There were at least five coats of paint on it and that changed the expression of the face. (It was like Our Lady had too much makeup).
Also when the paint was all removed, we realized that it was a bronze statue with fine details and good features. And being a bronze statue it is certainly a solid statue.
(After Mass you may want to come and admire the statue and of course say a prayer to our Lady on this her feast-day)
The intention is to put the statue at the shrine outside the church which will be erected in due time.
You may ask why is the statue all white. Why not put some colours on it?
Well, let it be white for the time being. Also white represents purity and virtue, which is also very appropriate for Our Lady.
And today as we celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven, this statue in its whiteness tells us about the blessing that God bestowed on Our Lady.
As Mary said in the gospel – “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.”
The Assumption of Our Lady is the fruit of the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus.
In gaining salvation and opening the gates of heaven for us, Jesus brought Our Lady body and soul into heaven to reward her with the fullness of salvation.
But her reward did not come about just because she was the “mother of my Lord” as Elizabeth would put it.
Yes, Mary was immaculately conceived to prepare her to bear the Son of God at the Annunciation.
But when she said “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me” it was not just only at the Annunciation.
For Mary, the will of God is to be done for all her life.
And so the Assumption is God’s acknowledgement of His lowly handmaid who did His will during her entire life, from the Annunciation to the Crucifixion.
And as God rewarded Mary with the Assumption into heaven, we also remember that Jesus gave Mary to us to be our mother when He was on the cross.
The last mention of Mary in the Bible is in Acts 1:14. There she was in prayer with the rest of the disciples.
And just as she was there praying with the early church, Mary is also praying now with the present church, praying with all of us, praying for all of us.
And we better believe in the power of Mary’s intercession, because it’s prayers from heaven.
There is this story about a Catholic girl who wanted to get married to this non-Catholic man.
During the pre-nuptial inquiry, the non-Catholic man readily agreed to baptizing the children.
Usually it is like this: Before marriage anything also can, but after marriage, it is another story.
Anyway after marriage and when the couple was expecting their first child, the husband said to his wife.
“Now if it is a girl, you can go ahead and baptize her, but if it is a boy, then I want him to follow me in being a free thinker.”
But the wife protested and she said: But you agreed when we met the priest. How can you go back on your word?
But the husband was adamant. The wife was sad and she said: I’ll tell my mother.
The husband said: Go ahead; she is not going to change my mind anyway.
Well, the husband didn’t know which mother she was referring to. She went before Mother Mary’s shrine and she prayed, “Dearest Mother I am so sad that my husband did not keep his word. But I really want to have all my children baptized: Please help me.”
And, help she did, because the first child was a girl, the second was a girl, the 3rd was a girl and the 4th was also a girl.
Now of course, the husband was happy with his 4 girls. But one day he just happened to ask his wife if they will ever have a boy.
The wife said: As long as you don’t allow the boy to be baptized, then we are only going to have girls. I told my mother about it, and so, that’s why it’s like that.
The husband said “Your Mother?” And so the wife related the whole story of praying to Mother Mary and all that.
Well to shorten the whole story, the husband took back his words, their next child was a boy, he got baptized, and eventually the husband was so amazed that he also got baptized.
Amazing story. You better believe it, or I’ll tell my mother.
Whatever it is, Mary’s intercession will help to remove all the obstacles and doubts that we face just as all the unnecessary paintwork was removed from her statue.
And what we will see is the purity of our faith and then like Mary we will do the will of God.
And just as God has done great things for Mary, God will also do great things for us.
Not just on earth but also in heaven. Let’s believe it.