THURSDAY AUGUST 15, 2024
THURSDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Revelation 11:19:12:1-6,10
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
COOPERATING WITH DIVINE GRACE
Yearly, the church celebrates the solemnity of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary on the 15th of August. It is one out of the four solemnities of our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary that the Church esteems and celebrates yearly.
The doctrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was proclaimed definitively by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950. But before this time, devotion and belief in this dogma has spread throughout the Christian circle from the earliest time. The church therefore holds that Mary was taken into the glory of heaven body and soul. That God did not allow her body to experience corruption or be buried.
It is also a doctrine that reassures all believers of the certainty of heaven and the joy of those who follow and act on God’s directive and words. In its true sense, the doctrine only gives credence more to the divine plan of God and completes in a great way the salvific mysteries of Christ in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin by the divine favour of God through her immaculate conception. That protection from the corruption of her human nature through the immaculate conception made Mary specially chosen by God to fulfill the mandate of being the Mother of God and the bearer of Christ in a perfect sense.
It means that she who was preserved from the corruption of sin by the grace of God and the privilege of divine initiative also experienced the glory of being taken up into the heavenly realm body and soul and did not experience the corruption of her body, just in the likeness of her Son, Jesus Christ who would not allow her mother to experience corruption.
The entire readings of today, point to this privilege granted Mary by God our Father. The book of Revelation points to the favour received by the figure of a woman who was preserved from the scourge of the ancient serpent or dragon who was set to devour the son born into the world. But the providence of God preserved this woman and her son from the serpent or dragon set to eat them. And this woman was taken away and preserved from the scourge of the dragon.
So the saving plan of God continues to be fulfilled and his grace saves and leads to the end which God desires that “…the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.”
It is this Son, Jesus Christ that brings salvation to humanity, that died for all humanity. It is by virtue of his death that man gained salvation. He died on behalf of all men so that he could offer all men life. He defeated death, the scourge of man, and raised all men from the burden and scourge of death. “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last of the enemy to be destroyed is death.”
The magnificent of our Lady, Mary’s proclamation of the marvelous wonders of God in her life, dominates the gospel of today. She proclaims in the gospel of today when she visited Elizabeth. Mary outlines that divine grace was at work in her, that God was working in and through her. That she has been favoured beyond all her expectations. And so such her soul proclaims this divine favour and grace granted her by the Lord.
As She outlines these favours, she explains her roles also especially, that her state of her soul is filled with gratitude. That is the gratitude we must all possess in the likeness of Mary in our lives. Mary teaches us to cooperate with divine initiative to realize our salvation.
The solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not just to state the obvious that Mary was assumed into the glory of heaven but to offer us hope and joy of such blessed glory reserved for all humanity through the victory of his son Jesus Christ who conquered death. And also to instill in our minds that cooperating with divine grace, we are sure to attain such blessed hope of eternal heritage prepared for us by God our Father.
Cooperating with divine grace in the likeness of Mary is better done by first being humble like Mary. Humility is expressed in being always full of praises of God and his mighty works. It is also to be seen in relying on God’s divine help and support, trusting in the powers of God to win our battles of life and living in charity, and helping others as Mary helped her cousin Elizabeth in her misery. This is cooperating with God in the most intimate ways.
Heavenly Father, you raised our Mother Mary to reign with her Son Jesus in the glory of heaven and never allowed her experience corruption. Grant to us your grace and blessings to cooperate with your grace for our well-being and salvation as Mary did. May we gain peace, blessings, happiness, good health and abundance of graces for our eternal heritage through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchunoh
