Fr.jayLucas+ 15th August 2024

As St. John Paul II commented, the Assumption is like the continuation of Easter. We can also say it is like Christmas because we celebrate Our Lady’s birth in heaven. It is such a great feast that the Church, in its liturgy, uses the word “TODAY! … On this day!”—a word/phrase normally reserved mainly for Christmas and Easter— showing us just what great a feast the Assumption is.  

“Today the glorious Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven.”

There are many arguments concerning the Assumption of Our Lady. One of the Church Fathers, St. John Damascene, presented many arguments in favor of the Assumption, earning him the title “Doctor of the Assumption.” His syllogism is as follows: it was fitting, God had the power to do so, and therefore He did. Many of these arguments are found in ‘Munificentissimus Deus’.

For me, the simplest explanation is that Mary is always with Jesus. She never abandons Him. She was with Him from birth, sought Him anxiously when He stayed behind at the temple, accompanied Him during His public ministry, was present at His first miracle at Cana, stood by Him at the cross, and was with the Church, the Body of Christ, at Pentecost. It is only logical that if Jesus is in heaven, His mother, who accompanied Him throughout His life, would also be with Him in heaven. In any case, much can be said about the Assumption, but today I want to focus on this question:

What does the Assumption of Our Lady mean to us? As Jamaicans 🇯🇲 , as Catholics. As people of God …. what can we learn?

1. Mary is in heaven, body and soul.  

• (There is no first-class relic of hers here on earth). This speaks to the dignity of the body. St. Paul writes that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must respect our bodies.

2. Respect for Women

• “A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and, on her head, a crown of twelve stars…She was pregnant and cried out in the pangs of birth.” Today is, in fact, a feast of women. We hear in the Gospel that Elizabeth called Mary the most blessed among women. God has placed a woman in heaven, body and soul. As Pope Francis has said, Mary was not a bishop, not a priest, not even a nun—no, she was a wife, a mother, a woman in the family, yet God has lifted her high. Let every woman identify with her. Let every young girl aim high, aim for heaven. Chiara Lubich often wondered why God did not leave us a tabernacle of Mary as we have for Jesus. Perhaps it is because He wanted us to see Mary in every woman we meet.

• Can we do the same for our own mothers? Mary is in heaven because of Jesus. She did not ascend by her own power; she was assumed into heaven. All of us came into this world through a woman. Is your mother still alive? In your own way, do little things for her—lift her up as well. Is your mother deceased? Pray for her every day.

3. Have hope

Mary went through many difficulties and challenges, witnessing her only son killed brutally. She pondered all these things in her heart. But now she is in heaven. Her presence there is a source of hope for us. In heaven, she prays for us.

Happy Assumption! Fr.jayLucas+