Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10; I Corinthians 15:20-26. Luke 1:39-56
There is a beautiful story about
a fruit seller. He supplied fruits to the Royal court. One day the King
had a special guest. He ordered mangoes to be supplied for the dinner.
Since the season of Mangoes was over there was none to be picked from
anywhere. After a long struggle he managed to get hold of a few. But,
they could not be presented to the royal court as they were partially
damaged. Fear of punishment had overtaken him.
He managed to get an audience to the queen. Falling at her feet and placing the damaged mangoes he begged for mercy. The queen was compassionate. She took the mangoes from him and asked him to go in peace.
He managed to get an audience to the queen. Falling at her feet and placing the damaged mangoes he begged for mercy. The queen was compassionate. She took the mangoes from him and asked him to go in peace.
The queen was at the table to
serve the guest. She placed the mangoes in a golden plate and set before
the king and the guest. Everyone was well pleased with it and the king
rewarded the fruit seller.
Today, the feast of the
Assumption of Our Lady, assures us that we have a queen to present our
cause before God in a way acceptable to him.
The origin of the Catholic
belief in the Assumption of Mary goes back to many centuries. The Feast
represents a Catholic Doctrine that was defined by Pope Pius XII on
November 1, 1950. The proclamation of the Church states that, revealed
by God, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original
sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up
body and soul into Heavenly glory. This glorification is simply the
result of the singularly heroic and complete surrender to the Will of
God.
We have to appreciate her
extraordinary life, vocation, commitment and sufferings. Her Immaculate
Conception was the beginning of her heroic life, and her assumption was
the end. But the road in between was the way of the cross. At every step
she said, “Yes” to God. She said “Yes” at the annunciation, submitting
to God’s plans as the “handmaid of the Lord”, when in spite of the words
of the angel, so many things about her future remained unclear. She
said “Yes” again at Bethlehem, when Jesus was born in the midst of so
much poverty. She said “Yes” when she was told to flee with the child to
Egypt. She said “Yes” to God at Nazareth for thirty years, when she
experienced many anxious moments. She said “Yes” to her loneliness when
Jesus left her. She said “Yes” to God when she heard about the
opposition that Jesus received from the Religious leaders. She said
“Yes” to God when she stood at the foot of the cross. Her life was a
perfect submission to the plan of God.
The Ten Commandments are summed
up into two. “Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbour.”
With her unconditional “Yes” to the plan of God she had perfectly obeyed
the first commandment. Mary, too remains, as an excellent example for
loving the neighbours. Having learnt from the angel that her cousin
Elizabeth was about to give birth to a child, Mary set quickly to visit
her. It was a long and dangerous journey for a girl of her age, yet she
did not think of herself but of the need of her cousin. At Cana when she
learned that they had no wine she brought it to the notice of her son.
She was sensitive to the need of others. At the foot of the cross Jesus
has entrusted her with the care of the whole humanity, and she accepted
it.
She was a woman of strength and
courage who experienced poverty, alienation, suffering and exile. With
all these experiences she remained close to God and close to humanity.
Therefore, God worked wonders through her.
In the first century BC, Rome
was the centre of attention. As the political power rested with it, the
Roman emperor became the most powerful man. But God was establishing his
might deed not through the mighty and powerful Emperor nor through the
nobility, but through the humble submission of a Jewish girl. The
determining event in history was not taking place in Rome, but in Mary.
In the course of time Rome sank into oblivion, but the insignificance or
Mary gained prominence, it still exerts tremendous influence on the
lives of countless men and women even after 200 years.
The Assumption is a day on which
to focus ourselves anew on our final goal, and our final hope of glory.
It is an assurance that one day we too will stand up there with Mary
with the moon beneath our feet, clothed with the sun and the stars as
the crown on our heads. To achieve this goal our Mother invites us to
joyfully submit to God’s plan; to grow always more conscious of our
lowliness; to put our complete trust in God; and to respond to God
through service to our neighbour.
Satish