The 15th August is one of the most important days
in the Catholic and Orthodox Calendars. It is a celebration of
Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of The Church, whose obedient "yes" to God
in that Annunciation encounter at ordinary, insignificant Nazareth
reversed the "No" attributed to Eve and Adam. Mary is often known as
"The Second Eve."
On the 15th August we remember Mary, the first to carry Christ into the world;
Mary, the first to show Christ TO the World;
Mary, the first to live-out the “Magnificat Manifesto” of the Kingdom;
Mary, the first, the one-and-only to consent to God’s plan,
and to co-operate with God in the power of the Holy Spirit,
to enable “The Word to become Flesh and dwell among us.”
Mary’s love of her Son was total.
She cuddled and protected Him when He was a Baby;
was frantic with anxiety when He went missing aged 12.
She worried about Him when she saw Him exhausted
by the day-after-day countrywide “seminars” He conducted.
She was with Him at the foot of His Cross;
she embraced Him in His death as in His life
as He was taken down from the Cross.
Eric Mascall, Anglo-Catholic theologian (who tutored me and others at Kings College, London) had this to say of Mary, and a lot more.
'He who does not love the Mother cannot rightly worship the Son."
"Not only does Mary serve as the Bridge between God and Humanity,
heaven and earth, in her birth-giving of God,
but, as Mother of the Messiah,
she serves as Bridge between the Old Testament and the New."
A depiction of Mary’s moment between heaven and earth,
is expressed in the Orthodox view of “The Dormition” ,
the “Falling Asleep of Mary”.
In the beginning Mary placed herself into the Hands of God;
and in turn, God placed Christ into her embrace.
When the time came, as she passed from this world to the next,
she placed herself into God’s hands once again,
but this time God entrusts Mary in the embrace of Christ,
where He “comes again to receive her to Himself,
that where He is, there she may be also.”
This is the hope that the Assumption brings to us all;
that if we place ourselves in God’s Hands,
as Mary did, in her “Let it be to me according to Your Word”,
then God our Heavenly Father will carry us,
carry us through our distress,
and lift up our heavy hearts.
So take a moment right now and ask yourself,
what burdens,
troubles,
and worries
are weighing you down?
How can you entrust yourself more into God’s loving care?
With whatever we’re facing in life,
financial worries, failure at school or in work,
redundancy, business worries,
wars and rumours of wars,
uncertain futures,
may we, like Mary, fall into Christ’s arms,
trusting His support in our present existence;
that He might raise us to Himself,
both now and at the hour of our death.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Almighty ever-living God,
who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
the Mother of your Son,
body and soul into heavenly glory,
grant, we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above,
we may merit to be sharers of her glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.