Today we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. As we hear in today’s Gospel, Mary is “blessed…among women.” Elizabeth goes on to exclaim, “blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Elizabeth also calls Mary blessed because of her faith: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Elizabeth also calls Mary the “mother of my Lord.”
Elizabeth calls Mary thrice blest in this visitation scene. Th early church reflecting on the holiness or blessedness of Mary teaches that at death she was assumed body and soul into heaven and did not undergo corruption. This was a special gift or grace given to her as the Mother of God.
As we hear in today’s second reading all of us have been graced by God and have received the gift of the resurrection through Jesus Christ. We are invited to follow Christ through death into glory:
“Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ…”
While Mary has received the special grace of the assumption, all of us have received the grace of the resurrection through our baptism. Paul teaches that “in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each on in proper order.”
The early church gave Mary the title Theotokos, “God bearer,” or “Mother of God.” The great martyr St. Ignatius of Antioch gives Christians similar titles: “So you are all companions on the way, God-bearers and temple-bearers, Christ-bearers, bearers of holy things, in every way adorned with the commandments of Jesus Christ.” (Ignatius, Ephesians 9.2). This past Sunday Paul called us to be imitators of God and of Christ by forgiving as God has forgiven us and by loving as Christ has loved us (Ephesians 4:31-5:2). So, we are God-bearers and Christ-bearers when we forgive and love one another.
Image: “Mary is Assumed into Heaven” by Lawrence OP is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.