Reading 1
Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
God’s temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”
45:10, 11, 12, 16
Responsorial PsalmR. (10bc)
The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Reading II
1 Cor 15:20-27
Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for “he subjected everything under his feet.”
Gospel
Lk 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,
“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 with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
Meditation: Luke 1:39-56
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
He has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness. (Luke 1:48)
What is humility? When we think of a humble person, we often picture a quiet, unassuming person. Maybe we think of a “shrinking violet”—someone who doesn’t take risks because he or she lacks confidence. We may think of someone who, when complimented, protests that they are no good. But is this true humility?
Let’s look at the Virgin Mary. It’s true that when the spotlight was on her, she pointed to God. It’s also true that she knew all blessings come from God. But none of this made her shrink into the shadows!
Imagine a young woman, early in her pregnancy, making a trip by herself—most likely on foot and definitely without any of the conveniences of modern-day travel—to visit her cousin in the rugged hill country of Judah. Now that’s gutsy!
The Gospels are full of examples of Mary’s active humility: saying yes to becoming pregnant even before she and Joseph came together as husband and wife; traveling as an older widow to Jerusalem to be with Jesus during his ministry and at his crucifixion; risking arrest by associating with the other disciples after Jesus had ascended into heaven.
Mary was decisive, active, and bold, but this didn’t mean she was proud! She simply chose to do what God called her to do. She knew her strength wasn’t enough to carry out God’s plan, but that didn’t stop her. She didn’t try to back out because she was too weak or lowly. She didn’t disqualify herself out of a false sense of modesty. No, she forged ahead and staked her life on God’s faithfulness.
God is calling you to help build his kingdom, so don’t let false humility be an excuse! A humble person doesn’t shrink in fear but takes action, trusting in God. As we celebrate Mary’s Assumption today, let’s see her entrance into heaven as the crowning jewel of her humility. Yes, God truly has “lifted up the lowly” (Luke 1:52). She who chose to step forward in faith is now exalted as queen of heaven and earth!
“Jesus, you have raised up your mother to sit with you in heaven because of her humble yet decisive ‘yes’ to the Father. Help me to embrace her humility. Deepen my confidence in your power.”
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