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Regnum Christi

The First to Be Freed from Death
August 15, 2006

Mary’s Assumption teaches us that one day we will go the way she went.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Father Richard Gill, LC

Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid´s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me Mary as my mother. I desire to love her and long to follow in her path. I know that with her I can be united with you in heaven, the fulfillment of my earthly journey toward you.

Petition: Lord, increase my desire for eternal life and to see you face-to-face in your glory.

1. The First of the Disciples. Mary was the first of the disciples because from the moment she received the invitation from the angel Gabriel, she put herself at the service of God’s plan and Jesus’ mission. She had no other program or agenda for her life from the moment of the Annunciation to the day of her Assumption into heaven. Her life and work, her faith, hope and love, were all focused on Jesus and the fulfillment of the mission to which God had called her. Her life became one of complete and total availability to whatever the mission called for and for anything the Lord would reveal to her.

2. Our Future Revealed to Us. There has never been a place in the entire Catholic world that has claimed to be Mary’s burial place. The belief that she was assumed into heaven body and soul has been a constant throughout time, even though the Church only formally defined it in the last century. Mary’s Assumption teaches us that one day we will go the way she went, that we will be entirely brought into union with God and Jesus Christ in all we are -- body and soul -- at the end of time. This teaching reminds us of the dignity and the value of the body, which is our physical existence. We will not be in heaven simply as “spirits” but as full persons composed of body and soul.

3. She Heard the Word and She Kept It. Elizabeth knew instantly she was in the presence of one who had an intimate relationship with God and who had kept her promise to him. Indeed, Mary understood that her whole life would consist in cooperating with God’s plan for her, and she dedicated every moment to the fulfillment of that plan. We too must put Christ first. We must put his plan over our lives first.

Dialogue with Christ: Jesus, give me hope in eternal life and the resurrection of the body so that I may enjoy eternity with you. Make me understand that the life of grace is the beginning of eternal life for me right here and now.

Resolution: I will pray for the grace of a renewed hope in eternal life and the constant grace and help from God to attain it.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Will You Come the Rest of the Way?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Tuesday, August 15, 2006

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."

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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.