👑 The Solemnity of the Assumption celebrates the glorification of Mary, who, at the end of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. This event, deeply rooted in the Church's tradition since the earliest centuries, is not merely a personal reward but the fulfillment of Christ's promise of the resurrection and glorification that awaits all the faithful. Her Assumption is the anticipation of the resurrection of the flesh for the entire Church, making her a sign of hope and consolation for the pilgrim people of God. The proclamation of the dogma in 1950 by Pius XII only solemnly confirmed this truth of faith, celebrating Mary's definitive victory over sin and death, by virtue of the merits of her Son.
🌟 Introit (Rev 12:1 | Ps 97:1)Signum magnum appáruit in coelo... A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Ps. Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for he has done wondrous deeds. ℣. Glory be to the Father…
⚔️ Epistle (Judith 13:22-25; 15:10)
The Lord has blessed you in his strength, because by you he has brought our enemies to nothing. Blessed are you, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth. Blessed be the Lord who created heaven and earth, who has directed you to the beheading of the prince of our enemies. For he has so magnified your name this day, that your praise shall never depart from the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord forever, for whom you have not spared your life, seeing the anguish and tribulation of your people, but have prevented our ruin in the presence of our God. You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honor of our people.
🕊️ Gospel (Lk 1:41-50)
At that time, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed are you that have believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to you by the Lord. And Mary said: My soul does magnify the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he has regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, has done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
🤔 Reflections
📜 Mary's soul magnifies the Lord, not herself; her spirit rejoices in God, not in herself. She refers everything to her God, whose greatness is pleased to do great things for little ones. (St. Augustine, Sermon 25 on the Saints). It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. (St. John of Damascus, Second Homily on the Dormition). Just as Judith, prefiguring the Church, who remained a virgin, conquered the enemy and liberated the people, so too did Mary, with her obedience, crush the head of the ancient serpent and bring salvation to the world. (St. Bede the Venerable, Homilies on the Gospels, I, 3).
📖 The Gospel of Luke is the only one that narrates in detail the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, as well as the canticle of the Magnificat. While Matthew focuses on Joseph's perspective and the genealogy of Jesus, the Lucan narrative delves into Mary's inner and spiritual dimension, revealing her humility and her prophecy about future generations. The Gospel of John, in turn, complements Mary's dignity as "Mother of my Lord" by presenting her at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25-27), where her motherhood extends to the entire Church in the person of the beloved disciple, fulfilling the promise that "all generations shall call me blessed."
✉️ The writings of Saint Paul, while not directly mentioning the Assumption, provide its theological foundation. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes Christ as the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" and affirms that in Christ all will be brought to life. Mary's Assumption is the most perfect fulfillment of this promise, the first harvest of the bodily resurrection promised to the faithful. Furthermore, the exaltation of Mary's humility in the Magnificat ("he has regarded the humility of his handmaid") perfectly echoes the hymn in Philippians 2:6-11, where Christ's self-emptying (kenosis) precedes His supreme exaltation by God the Father.
🏛️ Church documents establish and prepare for the dogma of the Assumption. The Bull Ineffabilis Deus (1854) of Pope Pius IX, which defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary, is the essential theological foundation. By declaring that Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception, this document implies her exemption from the corruption of the grave, which is a consequence of sin. The Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus (1950) of Pope Pius XII, which finally defined the dogma, articulates this connection, stating that as the new Eve, intimately united with the new Adam, Mary shared in His victory over sin and death, culminating in her bodily glorification as a necessary consequence of her Immaculate Conception.