Posted on 08/15/2005 8:15:09 AM PDT by Salvation
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Maronite Catholic: Qolo (Hymn) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Catholic Caucus: A NOVENA OF FASTING AND PRAYERS/ASSUMPTION/DORMITION
Archbishop Sheen Today! -- The glorious assumption
The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Reflections For The Feast 2003
Perhaps I will not be berated as I was yesterday, posting what the USCCB had on their website. I am only the messenger.
| THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY: A BELIEF SINCE APOSTOLIC TIMES |
| Father Clifford Stevens |
| The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated. Its origin is lost in those days when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). By then it had been a pagan city for two centuries, ever since Emperor Hadrian (76-138) had leveled it around the year 135 and rebuilt it as <Aelia Capitolina> in honor of Jupiter. For 200 years, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city, and the sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples. After the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 336, the sacred sites began to be restored and memories of the life of Our Lord began to be celebrated by the people of Jerusalem. One of the memories about his mother centered around the "Tomb of Mary," close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived. On the hill itself was the "Place of Dormition," the spot of Mary's "falling asleep," where she had died. The "Tomb of Mary" was where she was buried. At this time, the "Memory of Mary" was being celebrated. Later it was to become our feast of the Assumption. For a time, the "Memory of Mary" was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God. Soon the name was changed to the "Assumption of Mary," since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven. That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.) At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven." In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: "Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth." All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Savior. The Assumption completes God's work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over. The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended. The prayer for the feast reads: "All-powerful and ever-living God: You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory." In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution <Munificentissimus Deus>, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God. Father Clifford Stevens writes from Tintern Monastery in Oakdale, Neb. This article was taken from the July-August 1996 issue of "Catholic Heritage". |
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| Monday, August 15, 2005 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Solemnity) |
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August 15, 2005    Solemnity of the Assumption Old Calendar: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Assumption Now toward the end of the summer season, at a time when fruits are ripe in the gardens and fields, the Church celegrates the most glorious "harvest festival" in the Communion of Saints. Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, Mary, the most precious fruit which has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into the granary of heaven. — Pius Parsch The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated. Its origin is lost in those days when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). By then it had been a pagan city for two centuries, ever since Emperor Hadrian (76-138) had leveled it around the year 135 and rebuilt it as Aelia Capitolina in honor of Jupiter. For 200 years, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city, and the sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples. After the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 336, the sacred sites began to be restored and memories of the life of Our Lord began to be celebrated by the people of Jerusalem. One of the memories about his mother centered around the "Tomb of Mary," close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived. On the hill itself was the "Place of Dormition," the spot of Mary's "falling asleep," where she had died. The "Tomb of Mary" was where she was buried. At this time, the "Memory of Mary" was being celebrated. Later it was to become our feast of the Assumption. For a time, the "Memory of Mary" was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God. Soon the name was changed to the "Assumption of Mary," since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven. That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.) At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven." In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: "Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth." All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Savior. The Assumption completes God's work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over. The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended. In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God. Fr. Clifford Stevens in Catholic Heritage Things to Do:
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| Why Catholics Believe in the Assumption of Mary |
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| 08/15/05 |
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My friend Margie, who teaches two- to three-year-olds in our parish religious education program, says that the secret to teaching this age group is a healthy prayer life. The week she taught her class about the Assumption of Mary, Margie spent a long time on her knees. |
bttt
Many Catholics do not realize that Luther, Zwingli and Calvin all believed in the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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Rv 11:19a;12:1-6a,10ab / Cor 15:20-27 / Lk 1:39-56 There was a king whose only son was an angry, rebellious young man. Try as he might, the king could not find a way to his son's heart. And finally one day the boy gathered up his things and rode off into the sunset. The father tracked his journey across many lands, waiting patiently till his son would remember where his real home was. When the time seemed right, the father sent a message, "Come home, my son," he said. "I love you, and I want you at my side." The son replied with a sad heart, "Dear father, I can't come home. Too much has passed between us. The distance is too far." The father replied, "Return as far as you can, my son, and I will come to you the rest of the way." As we celebrate this feast of Jesus' mother, our eyes turn where Mary is always pointing, to her Son, who understands us so well. He knows the baggage we're carrying, the fears and angers, hatreds and prejudices, sins, confusions, and all sorts of junk. He knows! And knowing all that, He says to us what the king said to his son, "Return as far as you can, and I will come to you the rest of the way." That's what God did for us, when He made Mary Jesus' mother. He came out to a spot where we could meet Him and not be afraid, and where we could finally open our arms and say, "Father!" God continues to "come the rest of the way" for us every day. In doing that, He's not just taking care of us, He's showing us what He wants us to become, and that is reconcilers, people who have learned the habit of coming the rest of the way for one another. Too much of life is frittered away with people getting angry and staying angry at one another. Angry at their parents and spouses, brothers and sisters, angry at their colleagues, their clergy, their contractor, and God knows who else. What a waste, especially when we know that so often the evil is in the eye of the beholder and nowhere else! So why not pay attention to what the Lord is trying to teach us? Here it is: It makes no difference who's at fault. Take the initiative, the way the Lord does. Seek out the person you dubbed "my enemy." Name your hurt, your shame, your sorrow, your resentment, whatever it is that needs naming, and begin the search for peace ... and leave your calculator at home! Help the other person break out of the trap built by anger, resentment, or shame. Help the other save face, if that's the issue. Do what needs to be done, and don't hold back. It's hard work, no doubt. But in doing it we become like God, and our hearts will grow large and happy and full — just like God's! That is God's promise, and He always keeps His word. |
Monday August 15, 2005 Feast of the Assumption
Reading I (Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab)
Reading II (1 Corinthians 15:20-27)
Gospel (St. Luke 1:39-56)
In the second reading today, Saint Paul speaks to the Corinthians about death and the reality that death has been overcome in Christ. That is precisely what we celebrate today. We see in our Blessed Mother that in her Immaculate Conception she is free of sin, and that in her Divine Maternity she is without concupiscence, that is, the desires and passions of the flesh, and now in her Assumption she has overcome death. When we look at what happened in the Garden of Eden, it brought sin, it brought concupiscence, and it brought death; and we see in these areas of our Blessed Mother’s life that she has completely overcome everything the devil brought into the world by trapping our first parents into sin. So we have, then, not only death being conquered in a human person, but what we see for ourselves and what is so important to understand – especially for this society – is the dignity of the human body. Our Lady shares already in the Resurrection, and she shares already in the glorification in heaven. The Assumption means that she was taken body and soul by her Son into heaven. She has crushed in this way the head of Satan.
But we too, being members of the Mystical Body of Christ, are to share in the crushing of the head of Satan. He was there trying to devour her Child. Well, since we are members of the Mystical Body, and she who gave birth to the head gave birth to the whole body as well, we are the ones right now that Satan is trying to destroy. Tragically, he is doing a pretty good job of it. All you need to do is look around and you see these people who do not recognize their dignity. They not only do not recognize the dignity of their body; they do not even recognize the dignity of their soul. Consequently, there is no understanding of the dignity of who they are as human persons. So we are running around these days with people putting tattoos all over their bodies, we have people putting pinholes all over their bodies, we have the drugs, we have the alcohol problems, we have all these different things that go on, and the lust, of course, that is completely rampant in our society.
The human body has become an object. It is not longer recognized as an integral part of the person and the expression of the person, but rather it is seen merely as an object. What more would the devil want – because the human body is the only thing in physical creation that can express physically what it means to be an image of God. The dignity that the human body has is quite extraordinary. At the same time, the human body is the weak link in our entire makeup. Saint Francis, remember, called it Brother Donkey because it has its own desires and demands, and if you try to rein them in it is pretty stubborn and screams at you. We know the weaknesses of the flesh, but the point is that we need to strive to overcome those weaknesses. We need to be able to recognize that we can glorify God even now in and through our human body, and it needs to begin with the recognition of the dignity of the body.
All we have to do, again, is listen to what was in the readings. We hear about a woman who is about to give birth. Here is a human woman carrying in her human body a Child Who is God, Who has taken a human body to Himself (a whole human nature, for that matter), and He is about to be given birth. And it was with that human body that He saved humanity, by suffering and going to the Cross.
The human body is not something that can be rejected, it is not something evil, it is not something worthless, but it must be recognized as an integral part of the person. Our body, Brother Donkey sitting right here in this pew, is going to share in the glory of God – provided, of course, that we are in the state of grace when we die. If our bodies are going to be able to go to heaven, if they are going to be raised from the dead to share in the glory of eternity, then why would we think that somehow they are just objects now? It means, obviously, that not only do we have to present ourselves in a modest manner, but we cannot be looking at others in an immodest or impure way and we cannot be destroying our bodies by doing things that are foolish and sinful to them.
We need to make sure we are upholding the dignity of the human body because today Our Lady’s human body along with her soul was taken to heaven. That is the feast we celebrate. She is a merely human person. Jesus is God. Mary is one of us entirely; she is not God at all. Therefore, in a merely human person death has been overcome and in a merely human person the glory of eternity has been revealed. Our Lady is the foreshadowing of what we are called to. Being our mother, she is going to lead us by the hand to show us the way, and so she is. She shows us not only the way to heaven, but she shows us what it means to have the dignity of the children of God and what the dignity of the human person is really all about. So we look at this feast and then we look at our society and the degradation of humanity and especially of the human body and we see complete contraries: Our Lady’s glorification in heaven and our society’s degradation of the human body on earth. We need to recognize the true dignity God has given to us and live according to that dignity so that we will be prepared both body and soul to share in that glory for eternity.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
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Monday, August 15, 2005 Meditation 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Today’s feast is not just a celebration of a glorious event in Mary’s life. It’s a celebration of the destiny that awaits all of us. Mary’s assumption proves that we too can rise again in body and in spirit—just as she was taken body and soul into heaven. St. Paul taught that through baptism into God’s family, we are set free from the bondage to sin. Yet he also knew that we are still subject to pain and suffering. Living in this world is tough at times, as our bodies and spirits experience the effects of sin and death. One day, however, all of this will be gone—and that’s what we celebrate today. One day, we will die and rise again with Jesus, and all of our wounds will be healed. We will live with Jesus with glorified bodies and divinized spirits, and we will never have to endure the pain and sorrow of this world again. How should we celebrate this day? By imagining the heaven that was Mary’s destination and that is ours as well. In heaven, we will have never-ending energy to worship God. We will be able to dance and sing and run and jump without ever feeling tired or sick. All the things that have hurt us or could hurt us will not be there. No more sickness or pain. No more tears. No more insecurity. No more distrust or fear or anger or envy. We will know how much we are loved because we will have full communion with God. We will know the acceptance and peace of belonging to our heavenly Father. In prayer today, meditate on God’s plan for your resurrection. Imagine what it will be like when you are with him. Then, as you go about your day, look for ways to bring a little piece of heaven to earth. It only takes one prayer time to begin making a difference. We only need a taste of heaven before we can start spreading the hope and promise of life in Christ to our friends, neighbors, and family. Christ is risen; his mother is in heaven with him; and we can all join them one day. Who says there’s no good news in the world? “All praise to you, Jesus, for conquering death for all of us! You are an amazing, glorious God!” Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6,10; Psalm 45:10-12,16; Luke 1:39-56 |
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| Lk 1:39-56 | ||
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| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 39 | And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. | exsurgens autem Maria in diebus illis abiit in montana cum festinatione in civitatem Iuda |
| 40 | And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. | et intravit in domum Zacchariae et salutavit Elisabeth |
| 41 | And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. | et factum est ut audivit salutationem Mariae Elisabeth exultavit infans in utero eius et repleta est Spiritu Sancto Elisabeth |
| 42 | And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. | et exclamavit voce magna et dixit benedicta tu inter mulieres et benedictus fructus ventris tui |
| 43 | And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? | et unde hoc mihi ut veniat mater Domini mei ad me |
| 44 | For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. | ecce enim ut facta est vox salutationis tuae in auribus meis exultavit in gaudio infans in utero meo |
| 45 | And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. | et beata quae credidit quoniam perficientur ea quae dicta sunt ei a Domino |
| 46 | And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. | et ait Maria magnificat anima mea Dominum |
| 47 | And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. | et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo |
| 48 | Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. | quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes |
| 49 | Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is his name. | quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est et sanctum nomen eius |
| 50 | And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. | et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies timentibus eum |
| 51 | He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. | fecit potentiam in brachio suo dispersit superbos mente cordis sui |
| 52 | He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble. | deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles |
| 53 | He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away. | esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes |
| 54 | He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy. | suscepit Israhel puerum suum memorari misericordiae |
| 55 | As he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his seed for ever. | sicut locutus est ad patres nostros Abraham et semini eius in saecula |
| 56 | And Mary abode with her about three months. And she returned to her own house. | mansit autem Maria cum illa quasi mensibus tribus et reversa est in domum suam |
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