The Assumption of Our Lady | Saturday 15 August 2020
This weekend is Saturday the 15 August, the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, and Sunday the 16 August, beginning the 20th week of Ordinary Time.
Nóirín Ní Riain sings the Magnificat, the song of Mary: “My soul glorifies the Lord. My Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. He looks on his servant in her lowliness. Henceforth, all ages will call me blessed.” As I listen, can I sense the Lord looking on me in my lowliness, and can I rejoice in him and in all that he does for me?
This weekend’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 1:46-55
Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary’s song of triumph is in one sense absurd. She is in a hugely vulnerable position as an unmarried girl in a strict society who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, yet she rejoices and praises God and calls herself blessed. She doesn’t deny reality, but she sees a meaning deep within even such a reality as this which encourages her to trust God and believe in the strength of God’s promises.
Imagine Elizabeth and Mary celebrating together. What do they do? Do they embrace… laugh… dance together? How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in your life? How did you celebrate? The feast celebrates the risen life of Jesus lived in and through Mary for all eternity. What has died in me and what is being reborn?
As you hear the reading again, listen for any words or phrases that speak to you today as you recall God’s goodness.
Mary remembers God’s mercies from of old. Can I look back on my own history and see God’s protective presence? What do I want to say to God? Or perhaps I want to speak to Mary herself. Can I put into words my own song of blessing on this feast of the Assumption?
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.