Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1-6. 10 / 1 Cor 15:20-26
/ Luke 1:39-56
Last Monday, the 13th
August, we had our usual monthly Rosary at Mary’s shrine.
The turnout was more than usual
because the Inquirers from the RCIA journey were invited to see for themselves what
the monthly Rosary is all about.
They had begun the journey in
early July so it is only slightly more than a month that they had been coming
to the Church, and they are still not that familiar with the practices of the
Catholic Church.
So for some of them, if not
all of them, the Rosary at Mary’s shrine was probably their first encounter of such
a practice.
They would have their
queries, like, “Why are Catholics praying to a statue? Is it a deity?”or “Who
is this Mary? Is she the Mother goddess or what?”
Of course all their queries
were addressed or will be addressed along the way. But it would be difficult to
explain the feast of the Assumption to them.
It is the teaching of the
Catholic Church that Mary’s body was assumed into heaven. But it was only in
1950, 15th August, that Pope Pius XII officially declared Mary’s
Assumption as an article of faith.
In other words, the Church
has boldly declared that Mary is in heaven, body and soul, a declaration that
is definite and irreversible. It was a declaration not just on the authority of
the Church but also under the authority of the Holy Spirit.
With this declaration, our
faith in the saving power of God is reinforced. Mary is the first to be saved
by the saving work of Jesus, and the first to enter heaven body and soul, hence
assuring us that we too will join her one day, and that would be at the
resurrection on the Last Day.
At the same time, our faith
in Mary’s intercession is also reinforced, because from heaven she continues to
pray for us as our Heavenly Mother, a mission that she received at the foot of
the cross and that she continues even in heaven.
Mary is not a goddess or a
deity. She needs to be saved by Jesus and in her Assumption, God is showing us
that Mary has received the fullness of salvation.
And let us also pray with
her for the salvation of all peoples. That’s what the Assumption means for us.