Assumption

THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR ME (Assumption)

Aug 15, 2016 |

Scriptural Reading: Luke 1:39-56

Today, our reflection is anchored on one of the great miracles that God performed in the life of Mary. In Luke 1:49, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mary proclaimed, “The Almighty had done great things for me, holy is His name”. Assumption of the Blessed mother of God into the kingdom of God is one of the gifts He bestowed on our Blessed mother Mary, for her obedience and faithfulness to the word of God proclaimed to her by Angel Gabriel.  Whenever in obedience to Hebrews 13:7 we celebrate a saint, that is,  brothers or  sisters, heroes and heroines of faith in the Lord who spoke the word of God to us, we consider the outcome of their way of life in order to imitate their faithfulness to the Lord. Dear friends in Christ, Mary’s divine call, her obedience and also her faithfulness was unique and outstanding all through her earthly life, and as such, even her departure from the earth was unique and outstanding.  By the power of divine grace in her through the merit of the death of Jesus, Mary triumphed over sin and death.  “Indeed, her assumption was only possible because she shared in the triumph of her Son over sin and death. This is a gift of grace. For Mary, we might think of it as the final act in the drama of her life of faith and discipleship. When the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of the Messiah, she found within herself, again through God’s grace, the courage and faith to say “yes” to all that God was asking of her. In the power of God’s Spirit, which covered her with its shadow (see Luke 1:35), Mary lived a life of fidelity and obedience to God in union with her Son who was also her Lord. It was her union with him in life which meant that she would find herself in union with him also in the mystery of his death, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. This is what it means to be “in Christ”. This is what it means to be a member of Christ’s body. (See 1 Corinthians 12:27)

Friend, Mary’s assumption is therefore a sure hope for us, for we too are called to be “in Christ”; we too are members of his body. As St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans, “If we have died with Christ then we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:8) This belief echoes the words of Jesus himself, found in John’s Gospel: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3) In celebrating Mary’s assumption into heaven we celebrate something which places Mary among us as the first to receive the gift of salvation in all its fullness; a gift which the Lord also holds out to us. May this woman, given to us by Christ as our mother, be the companion of all her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12 :17) on our journey of faith. We employ the intercession of this our heavenly sister and mother, to accompany us until we share with her the joy of salvation in the presence of Jesus for all eternity in the name of Jesus.

Prayer Points

Thank God for reminding us that as many that will remain faithful to Him to the end will overcome death.O Lord, cause me to be faithful to You even to the end in the name of Jesus.Father, I receive the power to overcome sin in my life in the name of Jesus (3x).Jesus, whatever shall make me miss the place you are preparing for me should be destroyed in Your name. Amen.Father, do great thing for me; work an outstanding miracle that will set me apart unto Your glory in the name of Jesus.Father, in the covenant You made with Abraham, You assured us, that those that bless us are blessed and that those that curse us are cursed. I know that Mary is a unique daughter and mother in the new covenant of Jesus Christ. With the words of angel Gabriel, let us bless our blessed sister and mother in the Lord (the Blessed Virgin Mary) as we say “Hail Mary full of grace………” May the memorial and celebration of the miracles you performed in her life strengthen our faithfulness and commitment to Jesus – the WORD – in the name of Jesus.

 

Exercise: Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be, to ask God for the double portion of Mary’s anointing and grace.

Memory Verse: John 2:5.