8-15- Suy Niệm Hồn Xác Lên Trời
Trong bài đọc Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy được ba sự chuyển động đó là: Mẹ Maria lên đường thăm viếng người chị họ là ba Elizabeth, em bé trong bụng của bà Elizabeth đã nhảy mừng và bài ca Magnificat của Đức Maria đã tóm lược những biến động lịch sử về lòng từ bi và nhân hậu của Thiên Chúa đối với dân riêng của Ngài. Sự xuất hiện của Con Thiên Chúa qua Đức Maria cũng được loan báo.
Trong ngày Lễ kính Đức Mẹ Vô Nhiễm Nguyên Tội, chúng ta được mời gọi để sống với những cảm nghiệm về sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Ngài chuyển đổi chúng ta từ nơi này sang nơi khác, đôi khi từ các vùng an toàn của chúng ta; Ông làm chúng ta kinh ngạc với những bất ngờ; Bất ngờ có thể là nơi "nơi mà Thiên Chúa đã chuẩn bị cho chúng ta." Thiên Chúa là Chúa của biến động và sự thay đổi.
Những biến đổi hay những sự thay đổi thường không phải là dễ dàng. Một người phụ nữ sắp sinh con trong bài đọc thứ nhất nhắc nhở chúng ta về nỗi đau đớn của việc sinh đẻ trước khi chào đón một cuộc sống mới, cũng giống như sự đầu phục hoàn toàn của chúng ta để sống theo ý muốn của Thiên Chúa bất cứ điều gì có thể. Và việc đầu phục theo ý muốn của Thiên Chúa, lời tuyên xung của chúng ta, là chìa khóa để chúng ta về nhà Cha với quyền năng yêu thương và sự cứu độ của Thiên Chúa. lời Kinh Magnificat của Đức Maria thừa nhận các biến động của Thiên Chúa trong cuộc sống của Đức Maria, " Linh hồn tôi ngợi khen Đức Chúa, Thần trí tôi hớn hở vui mừng, Vì Thiên Chúa, Đấng cứu độ tôi … Đấng Toàn Năng đã làm cho tôi Biết bao điều cao cả. Danh Người thật chí thánh chí tôn”
Chúng ta tin rằng khỉ Đức Maria qua đời, Mẹ đă đuoc Thiên Chúa đưa cả thân xác và linh hồn vào thiên đường vì vài trò đặc biệt của mẹ là Mẹ Thiên Chúa. Xin cho chúng ta là những người con cái của Mẹ, được trở nên giống như mẹ biết nhìn thấy những sự biến đổi của Thiên Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta: Thiên Chúa đã làm chúng ta biến đổi chính mình như thế nào trong cuộc đời chúng ta? Chúng ta có thể làm gì để tự mình có thể đón nhận được lời mời gọi của Thiên Chúa dành cho chúng ta? Chúng ta nên phải làm gì hơn để được đưa đến nơi mà Cha yêu thương của chúng ta đã chuẩn bị sẵn cho chúng ta?Lễ Kính Đức Mẹ
Aug 15- Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
In the Gospel reading (Day Mass) we see three movements: Mary setting out to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaping for joy and Mary's Magnificat which summarizes historical movements of God's mercy and compassion. The coming of the Son of God through Mary is also proclaimed.
At the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we are invited to experience the "moving" presence of God in our lives. He moves us from one place to another, at times from our comfort zones; he surprises us with the unexpected; the unexpected could be the place "where God had prepared a place for us." God is the Lord of movement and change.
Movement or change is often not easy. A woman about to give birth in the first reading reminds us of the pain of childbirth in order to welcome a new life, like our total surrender to the will of God whatever it may be.
And this surrender to God's will, our fiat, is the key to our going home to the loving and saving power of God. Mary's Magnificat acknowledges God's movements in Mary's life, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior!"
We believe that at Mary's death she was assumed body and soul into heaven because of her special role as Mother of God. May we, her children, be like her in seeing God's movements in our lives: how has God moved me in my life? What more could I do to dispose myself to see God's invitations to me? What more should I do to be brought to the place prepared for me by my loving Father?
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15
“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.” Luke 1:46–49
Today we celebrate one of seventeen different memorials, feasts and solemnities in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are found on the Roman Liturgical Calendar. Today’s celebration is one of the four great Solemnities by which our Blessed Mother is honored. Obviously, no other person other than our Lord is honored and celebrated with as much solemnity as the Mother of God.
The Solemnity of the Assumption honors the fact that when the Blessed Virgin Mary completed her life on earth, she was taken body and soul into Heaven to be with her resurrected Son so as to adore the Most Holy Trinity forever. It’s an amazing fact to consider that she retains her body and soul, united as one in Heaven, in anticipation of that glorious day when the new Heavens and Earth will be created and when all the faithful will rise so as to live in a new bodily form forever with God.
Though this dogma of our faith had been held and believed by the faithful from the earliest times of our Church, especially since it was witnessed by those closest to our Blessed Mother at the time of her glorious Assumption, it wasn’t until November 1, 1950, that Pope Pius XII solemnly proclaimed it to be so, raising this teaching of our faith to the level of a dogma, meaning, it must be held and believed by all. In part, the Holy Father declared, “…we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
The Gospel passage quoted above comes from the beginning of Mary’s song of praise, her Magnificat, by which she not only gives the greatest glory to God but also reveals who she is. She is the one whom “all generations” will call “blessed.” She is the one for whom “the Almighty has done great things.” She is the one who will eternally proclaim “the greatness of the Lord” and whose spirit will forever rejoice in God her Savior. And she is that lowliest of servants whom God has raised up to the greatest glory.
Reflect, today, with the whole Church, upon the Most Glorious Ever-Virgin Mary who was conceived without sin, remained sinless throughout her life, and was taken body and soul into Heaven where she now adores the Most Holy Trinity and intercedes for you and for the whole Church. This is a Solemnity of great rejoicing! Share in this joy with the whole Church and with all the saints in Heaven!
Most glorious and Ever-Virgin Mary, I rejoice today with you and with the whole Church for the most glorious things that God has done for you. You are beauty beyond beauty, Immaculate in every way, and worthy of our deepest love. As you now share body and soul in the glories of Heaven, please pray for me and for all your dear children on earth. Cover us with your mantle of love and pour forth the mercy of God upon us always. Mother Mary, assumed into Heaven, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Jesus, I trust in You.
Aug 15 Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, my eyes today look towards my heavenly home. I long to be with you, with your Son, with your Spirit, and with all the saints. I can’t wait to see my heavenly Mother, the New Ark of the Covenant and the Woman clothed with the sun.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Mary as the New Ark: Yesterday’s vigil mass for the Assumption of Mary told the story of the transfer of the old Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion. Today, we celebrate the passage of Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, to the Heavenly Jerusalem, where God dwells in glory. The Gospel today – Mary’s Visitation – brings out the parallels between the old Ark and the New Ark. The old Ark rested in the hill country of Judah, in the house of Obed-Edom, for about three months; Luke tells us that Mary stayed with her cousin Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judea, for about three months. Both arks were sources of blessing. And just as King David leaped as a priest-king before the old Ark as it was brought to Jerusalem, John the Baptist, the son of the priest Zechariah, leaped in Elizabeth’s womb before Mary. “In his mother’s womb John the Baptist danced like David before the Ark of the Covenant; like David he recognized: Mary was the new Ark of the Covenant, before which the heart exults with joy, the Mother of God present in the world who does not keep this divine presence to herself but offers it, sharing the grace of God” (Benedict XVI, August 15, 2011). The symbol of the ark in the Old Testament gives way to reality in the New Testament in a real person, in Mary, the true Ark of the Covenant.
2. Mary as the Woman Clothed with the Sun: The First Reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, lifts our eyes and our hearts toward heaven, where we contemplate Mary not only as the true and new Ark of the Covenant but also as the Woman clothed with the sun. The latter symbolizes that now she is totally clothed with God and totally living in God, surrounded and penetrated by divine light. The crown twelve stars symbolize that she is surrounded by the twelve tribes of Israel, by the whole People of God, and the Communion of Saints. The moon under her feet symbolizes her victory over death and mortality. Mary is the great sign of the victory of love, the victory of goodness, the victory of God. She is a sign that consoles us and invites us to trust in God and to imitate Mary in her self-offering to God (see Benedict XVI, August 15, 2007). Because of her immersion in her Son’s Paschal Mystery, Mary was enabled to share in his victory over sin and death. In us, who have been incorporated into Christ’s Death and Resurrection through Baptism, Christ’s Resurrection is still incomplete. In Mary, however, it is complete and perfect. In Mary, the mystery of Christ has fully taken effect, redeeming her from death and bringing her, body and soul, to the Kingdom of immortal life (see Benedict XVI, August 15, 2008). She has entered into the fullness of union with God and with her Son.
3. Mary in Heaven, Body and Soul: The Assumption of Mary was a gift of the Risen Christ to his Mother. She was the one in whom the Son of God made his dwelling. Today, the day of the Assumption, she began to dwell body and soul in God. By means of the Immaculate Conception, she was preserved from sin; by means of the Assumption, she was preserved from the corruption of the grave (John Paul II, August 15, 1982). In Mary, we witness the victory of her Son over the Ancient Serpent, whose head is crushed. As well, when we contemplate Mary in heaven, we contemplate our definitive home. We are pilgrims in this world and we experience the battle between evil and good, the battle between those who pridefully rebel against God and those who humbly seek the will of God. One way to stay on the path that leads to life is to keep our eyes fixed on Mary, clothed with the sun, clothed with eternal divine love (John Paul II, August 15, 1986). With Jesus, she is our model and our guide. In heaven, body and soul, Mary has been raised with Jesus and is enthroned with him. In heaven, body and soul, Mary lives the promise of salvation, offered to us in Jesus Christ. In heaven, body and soul, Mary eternally worships the Father with Christ. In heaven, body and soul, Mary contemplates in glory the very face of God. In heaven, body and soul, Mary exercises her maternal mediation for us, her children.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I contemplate today the gift you gave your Mother, the gift of assuming her into heaven, body and soul. This mystery fills me with hope, that one day I will be in heaven and one day, at the end of time, I will receive my glorified body.
Aug 15, 2013 Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
Today we celebrate the great feast of Our Lady's assumption into heaven, the day when Our Mother was taken body and soul and raised to the fullness of glory in heaven. The stress is body and soul. Our Lady was given the fullness of glory and there must have been great rejoicing in heaven, in the whole universe, on seeing the Queen, the Mother of Our Lord, appear in flesh! May the soul of Mary, which is the soul of Jesus, be in each of us for the glory of the Lord. May the Spirit of Mary be in each of us so that we may rejoice, truly rejoicing in God!
The ark of Yahweh, the Lord of the earth, is in our midst whenever we call on Our Lady's name. With her, our crossing over will be victorious and God's glory will cover us always. At all times, let us look at Mary who is always near us, watching over us so that in all things and through all things, we may be united with and be one with Jesus, her Son.
Let us tenderly hold on to Mary so that with her and like her, we may always do what is most pleasing to Our Lord in great as well as in small things.In loving obedience, let us act courageously, forgive and forgive seventy times seven times like a faithful servant of God.
Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Mẹ Hồn xac lên Trời. 15/8
Theo quan niệm của người Do Thái thời xưa, có lẽ Đức Maria cũng chỉ là một người đàn bà như mọi người đàn bà khác, Hơn nữa Đức Maria có một địa vị rất khiêm tốn nhất trong xã hội, vì Đức Maria chỉ là một người thiều nữ yếu kém, trong một xã hội trọng dụng đàn ông. Đức Maria cũnglà người phụ nữ còn nhỏ tuổi trong một thế giới có giá trị trong tuổi tác. Đức Maria cũng chỉ là một người nghèo hèn trong một thế giới mà Người nghèo được coi như đó là một lời nguyền rủa của Thiên Chúa.
Đức Maria chắc cũng chỉ là một phụ nữ quê mùa, chân lấm tay bùn, cuộc sống xa vời với cuộc sống thành thị và những trung tâm quyền lực. Tuy nhiên, trong phụng vụ hôm nay gọi Đức Maria được tôn vính là mộtngườicó được "vinh dự lớn nhất trong nhân loại con người chúng ta. "Con Người" phải có nghĩa là một cái gì đó sâu sắc, cao trọng hơn cả quyền lực của loài người.
Vinh quang của Đức Maria không chỉ là một đặc ân cá nhân mà có thể được so với sự phục sinh và lên trời của Chúa Giêsu con của bà, nhưng đó cũng một lời hứa mà Thiên Chúa đã hứa ban sự vinh quang đó cho chúng ta ngày sau. Sự vinh quang đó không những chỉ được chú trọng vào nhân phẩm độc đáo của Đức Maria như là người mẹ của Chúa Giêsu, mà cònchú trọng đến số phận của chúng ta nữa. Đức Maria đã có cuộc sống thực tế của con người, và bà cũng sẽ phải chết như con người chúng ta, nhưng Đức Maria cả hồn lẫn xác đã được đưa vào thiên đàng. Đây cũng là một lời nhắc nhở cho chúng ta biết rằng vào ngày cuối của cuộc đời, chúng ta cũng sẽ được như vậy, chúng ta cũng sẽ được sống lại từ cõi chết, và thân xác của chúng ta sẽ được mặc lấy sự không hư nát, và trong sự sống bất diệt.
Trong sự vinh quang của Đức Maria sẽ mở rộng tầm ảnh tưởng của Bà trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Đức Maria luôn luôn hiện diện với chúng ta hơn bao giờ hết một cách thiêng liêng, một sự hiện diện gần gũi có sức mạnh hơn nhiều so với sự hiện diện thể xác. Đây chính là một cái sức mạnh đã gắn bó chúng ta với Đức Maria và để chúng luôn biết rằng Đức Maria luôn ở giữa với chúng ta, và chúng ta như đám gà con đang được săn sòc và ấp ủ dưới cách gà mẹ, nhất là mỗi khi chúng ta âu lo, bị căng thẳng hay bị những khổ đau chồng chất trong cuộc sống hàng ngày chúng ta.
Đức Maria luôn khuyên nhủ chúng ta là muốn vác lấy thập giá của chúng ta một cách kiên trì và nhẫn nhục như Mẹ đã gánh lấy Thánh giá của Mẹ khi xưa. Chính Mẹ muốn thúc đẩy chúng ta nên bắt chước Mẹ là nên phục vụ người khác một cách quảng đại và vui vẻ như Mẹ phục vụ. Và cuối cùng, Chính Đức Maria cũng đã tạo niềm cảm hứng cho chúng ta để biết siêng năng cầu nguyện thường xuyên như Mẹ đã làm. Ai có thể là một người mẹ, một cổ động viện tốt hơn cho chúng ta so với Đức Maria, Mẹ của chúng ta?
Reflection: Aug 15, 2014 Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
When we see a member of our family in intense pain, we feel pain, too. The gospel reading presents us Jesus hanging on the cross and below are his mother and the women friends with John the apostle keeping him company and support. Jesus is not outdone in generosity and concerns, so he uttered words of comfort to his mother saying, "This is your son," and to his beloved disciple, a plea for his mother saying, "This is your mother." The scene is heart-rending, but it is also of utmost concern.
Once a mother with a son and two daughters who wanted to join a foreign missionary institute said, "If I had one more daughter I'll still gladly give her to the Lord. The mother told her daughters upon their departure for the foreign mission not to worry for her, for certainly the Lord will take care of her. Soon her son got married and lived separately. Left alone without any of her children around, she entered a nursing home while waiting for the arrival of the missionaries. The son arrived and the daughters arrived. The following day she went home to heaven with the Lord. Was this woman rewarded for allowing her daughters to leave her and go to the foreign mission?
Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Đức Mẹ Hồn Xác Lên Trời
Sự vinh danh của Đức Maria không chỉ là một đặc ân cá nhân mà có thể được so sánh với sự phục sinh và lên trời của Chúa Jêsus con của Mẹ, nhưng còn cả những lời hứa và cam kết về sự tôn vinh của chúng ta một ngày nào đó. Việc Vinh Danh Đức Maria không chỉ là việc nhấn mạnh đến phẩm giá độc nhất của mẹ như là mẹ của Chúa Jêsus, mà còn nhấn mạnh đến vận mệnh của mỗi người chúng ta, Đức Maria cũng sẽ phải trải qua một kinh nghiệm về cuộc sống con người thật sự nhất về cái chết của con người nhưng sự lên trời vào Thiên Đàng là một lời nhắc nhở rằng trong ngày cuối cùng, chúng ta cũng sẽ sống lại từ cõi chết, và thân xác chúng ta sẽ được mặc lấy sự hư nát và sự bất tử.
Một hậu quả khác của sự vinh hiển của Đức Maria là sự mở rộng ảnh hưởng của Mẹ trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Mẹ đã hiện diện nhiều hơn với chúng ta bây giờ hơn bao giờ hết trong một cách thức tinh thần, một sự hiện diện mạnh hơn sự hiện diện của cơ thể, Đó là một điểm nhấn về cái sức mạnh để biết rằng Đức Maria đang ở với chúng ta khi căng thẳng và căng thẳng tràn ngập chúng ta hoặc khi đau khổ và đau khổ Áp đảo chúng tôi.
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
Mary's glorification is not only a personal privilege which can be compared to the resurrection and ascension of her son Jesus, but also a promise and a pledge of our own glorification one day. It not only emphasizes her unique dignity as the mother of Jesus, but also underscores our own destiny. Mary experienced the human fact of death but her assumption into heaven is a reminder that on the last day, we, too, shall rise from the dead, and our bodies will be clothed with incorruptibility and immortality.
Another consequence of Mary's glorification is the extension of her influence in our lives. She is more present to us now than ever before in a spiritual way, a presence that is more powerful than physical presence. It is an anchor of strength to know that Mary is with us when tensions and stress beset us or when sufferings and hurts overwhelm us.
REFLECTION 8-15-12
We celebrate today the Assumption of our Blessed Mother into heaven, body and soul. It was only as recent as 1950 that Pius XII solemnly defined this to be an article of our faith and declared that "the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, when the course of her earthly life was ended, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven."
From our readings alone, Mary is referred to as: full of grace, blessed among women, the woman clothed with the sun. Such titles express the Church's recognition of the honor that belongs to Mary as Mother of God. But at the same time, we cannot deny that such adulation has turned off some well-meaning Catholics. To them, Mary is seen as a rival to Jesus in honor. Some have said that Mary does not deserve this much honor because, unlike ourselves, she was not ordinary as we are. She was set apart by God and protected from evil from the very start.
But this reasoning springs from two presuppositions that must be identified. First, that somehow the honors and privileges bestowed on Mary made her less free to sin and therefore less human, less like us. The same complaint actually lurks behind the sentiment that Jesus isn't really human, like us. But are we human because we can sin, or are we human because we can do good? If being human is defined by the good that we are, since God created us good, then Mary and Jesus are more human than we are, not the other way around.
Second, that because of God's favors Mary could not have sinned. Her holiness simply flowed out from God's favors. To this, we must say that God spared Mary only from original sin, not from the possibility of sin. God's grace, God's favors always require our cooperation. And the work of grace is never a one-shot deal. It is always ongoing, always interacting with our selves, drawing us in love.
And so, Mary's honors and privileges, the crowning glory of which is her assumption into heaven, are all received by Mary on our behalf, on behalf of humanity. She is like us; we can be like her. In her glory, we catch a glimpse of the glory that awaits us.
Being holy does not mean being shielded from temptation. It means being tempted and choosing to do good anyway. We are ordinary creatures, like Mary, who depend on God to be saved. And yet, we too are extraordinary, like Mary, meant for the glory of heaven. May we all heartily join Mary as her whole being proclaims the greatness of God!
Aug 15- Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
In the Gospel reading (Day Mass) we see three movements: Mary setting out to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaping for joy and Mary's Magnificat which summarizes historical movements of God's mercy and compassion. The coming of the Son of God through Mary is also proclaimed.
At the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we are invited to experience the "moving" presence of God in our lives. He moves us from one place to another, at times from our comfort zones; he surprises us with the unexpected; the unexpected could be the place "where God had prepared a place for us." God is the Lord of movement and change.
Movement or change is often not easy. A woman about to give birth in the first reading reminds us of the pain of childbirth in order to welcome a new life, like our total surrender to the will of God whatever it may be.
And this surrender to God's will, our fiat, is the key to our going home to the loving and saving power of God. Mary's Magnificat acknowledges God's movements in Mary's life, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior!"
We believe that at Mary's death she was assumed body and soul into heaven because of her special role as Mother of God. May we, her children, be like her in seeing God's movements in our lives: how has God moved me in my life? What more could I do to dispose myself to see God's invitations to me? What more should I do to be brought to the place prepared for me by my loving Father?
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15
“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.” Luke 1:46–49
Today we celebrate one of seventeen different memorials, feasts and solemnities in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are found on the Roman Liturgical Calendar. Today’s celebration is one of the four great Solemnities by which our Blessed Mother is honored. Obviously, no other person other than our Lord is honored and celebrated with as much solemnity as the Mother of God.
The Solemnity of the Assumption honors the fact that when the Blessed Virgin Mary completed her life on earth, she was taken body and soul into Heaven to be with her resurrected Son so as to adore the Most Holy Trinity forever. It’s an amazing fact to consider that she retains her body and soul, united as one in Heaven, in anticipation of that glorious day when the new Heavens and Earth will be created and when all the faithful will rise so as to live in a new bodily form forever with God.
Though this dogma of our faith had been held and believed by the faithful from the earliest times of our Church, especially since it was witnessed by those closest to our Blessed Mother at the time of her glorious Assumption, it wasn’t until November 1, 1950, that Pope Pius XII solemnly proclaimed it to be so, raising this teaching of our faith to the level of a dogma, meaning, it must be held and believed by all. In part, the Holy Father declared, “…we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
The Gospel passage quoted above comes from the beginning of Mary’s song of praise, her Magnificat, by which she not only gives the greatest glory to God but also reveals who she is. She is the one whom “all generations” will call “blessed.” She is the one for whom “the Almighty has done great things.” She is the one who will eternally proclaim “the greatness of the Lord” and whose spirit will forever rejoice in God her Savior. And she is that lowliest of servants whom God has raised up to the greatest glory.
Reflect, today, with the whole Church, upon the Most Glorious Ever-Virgin Mary who was conceived without sin, remained sinless throughout her life, and was taken body and soul into Heaven where she now adores the Most Holy Trinity and intercedes for you and for the whole Church. This is a Solemnity of great rejoicing! Share in this joy with the whole Church and with all the saints in Heaven!
Most glorious and Ever-Virgin Mary, I rejoice today with you and with the whole Church for the most glorious things that God has done for you. You are beauty beyond beauty, Immaculate in every way, and worthy of our deepest love. As you now share body and soul in the glories of Heaven, please pray for me and for all your dear children on earth. Cover us with your mantle of love and pour forth the mercy of God upon us always. Mother Mary, assumed into Heaven, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, my eyes today look towards my heavenly home. I long to be with you, with your Son, with your Spirit, and with all the saints. I can’t wait to see my heavenly Mother, the New Ark of the Covenant and the Woman clothed with the sun.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Mary as the New Ark: Yesterday’s vigil mass for the Assumption of Mary told the story of the transfer of the old Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion. Today, we celebrate the passage of Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, to the Heavenly Jerusalem, where God dwells in glory. The Gospel today – Mary’s Visitation – brings out the parallels between the old Ark and the New Ark. The old Ark rested in the hill country of Judah, in the house of Obed-Edom, for about three months; Luke tells us that Mary stayed with her cousin Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judea, for about three months. Both arks were sources of blessing. And just as King David leaped as a priest-king before the old Ark as it was brought to Jerusalem, John the Baptist, the son of the priest Zechariah, leaped in Elizabeth’s womb before Mary. “In his mother’s womb John the Baptist danced like David before the Ark of the Covenant; like David he recognized: Mary was the new Ark of the Covenant, before which the heart exults with joy, the Mother of God present in the world who does not keep this divine presence to herself but offers it, sharing the grace of God” (Benedict XVI, August 15, 2011). The symbol of the ark in the Old Testament gives way to reality in the New Testament in a real person, in Mary, the true Ark of the Covenant.
2. Mary as the Woman Clothed with the Sun: The First Reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, lifts our eyes and our hearts toward heaven, where we contemplate Mary not only as the true and new Ark of the Covenant but also as the Woman clothed with the sun. The latter symbolizes that now she is totally clothed with God and totally living in God, surrounded and penetrated by divine light. The crown twelve stars symbolize that she is surrounded by the twelve tribes of Israel, by the whole People of God, and the Communion of Saints. The moon under her feet symbolizes her victory over death and mortality. Mary is the great sign of the victory of love, the victory of goodness, the victory of God. She is a sign that consoles us and invites us to trust in God and to imitate Mary in her self-offering to God (see Benedict XVI, August 15, 2007). Because of her immersion in her Son’s Paschal Mystery, Mary was enabled to share in his victory over sin and death. In us, who have been incorporated into Christ’s Death and Resurrection through Baptism, Christ’s Resurrection is still incomplete. In Mary, however, it is complete and perfect. In Mary, the mystery of Christ has fully taken effect, redeeming her from death and bringing her, body and soul, to the Kingdom of immortal life (see Benedict XVI, August 15, 2008). She has entered into the fullness of union with God and with her Son.
3. Mary in Heaven, Body and Soul: The Assumption of Mary was a gift of the Risen Christ to his Mother. She was the one in whom the Son of God made his dwelling. Today, the day of the Assumption, she began to dwell body and soul in God. By means of the Immaculate Conception, she was preserved from sin; by means of the Assumption, she was preserved from the corruption of the grave (John Paul II, August 15, 1982). In Mary, we witness the victory of her Son over the Ancient Serpent, whose head is crushed. As well, when we contemplate Mary in heaven, we contemplate our definitive home. We are pilgrims in this world and we experience the battle between evil and good, the battle between those who pridefully rebel against God and those who humbly seek the will of God. One way to stay on the path that leads to life is to keep our eyes fixed on Mary, clothed with the sun, clothed with eternal divine love (John Paul II, August 15, 1986). With Jesus, she is our model and our guide. In heaven, body and soul, Mary has been raised with Jesus and is enthroned with him. In heaven, body and soul, Mary lives the promise of salvation, offered to us in Jesus Christ. In heaven, body and soul, Mary eternally worships the Father with Christ. In heaven, body and soul, Mary contemplates in glory the very face of God. In heaven, body and soul, Mary exercises her maternal mediation for us, her children.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I contemplate today the gift you gave your Mother, the gift of assuming her into heaven, body and soul. This mystery fills me with hope, that one day I will be in heaven and one day, at the end of time, I will receive my glorified body.
Today we celebrate the great feast of Our Lady's assumption into heaven, the day when Our Mother was taken body and soul and raised to the fullness of glory in heaven. The stress is body and soul. Our Lady was given the fullness of glory and there must have been great rejoicing in heaven, in the whole universe, on seeing the Queen, the Mother of Our Lord, appear in flesh! May the soul of Mary, which is the soul of Jesus, be in each of us for the glory of the Lord. May the Spirit of Mary be in each of us so that we may rejoice, truly rejoicing in God!
The ark of Yahweh, the Lord of the earth, is in our midst whenever we call on Our Lady's name. With her, our crossing over will be victorious and God's glory will cover us always. At all times, let us look at Mary who is always near us, watching over us so that in all things and through all things, we may be united with and be one with Jesus, her Son.
Let us tenderly hold on to Mary so that with her and like her, we may always do what is most pleasing to Our Lord in great as well as in small things.In loving obedience, let us act courageously, forgive and forgive seventy times seven times like a faithful servant of God.
Theo quan niệm của người Do Thái thời xưa, có lẽ Đức Maria cũng chỉ là một người đàn bà như mọi người đàn bà khác, Hơn nữa Đức Maria có một địa vị rất khiêm tốn nhất trong xã hội, vì Đức Maria chỉ là một người thiều nữ yếu kém, trong một xã hội trọng dụng đàn ông. Đức Maria cũnglà người phụ nữ còn nhỏ tuổi trong một thế giới có giá trị trong tuổi tác. Đức Maria cũng chỉ là một người nghèo hèn trong một thế giới mà Người nghèo được coi như đó là một lời nguyền rủa của Thiên Chúa.
Đức Maria chắc cũng chỉ là một phụ nữ quê mùa, chân lấm tay bùn, cuộc sống xa vời với cuộc sống thành thị và những trung tâm quyền lực. Tuy nhiên, trong phụng vụ hôm nay gọi Đức Maria được tôn vính là mộtngườicó được "vinh dự lớn nhất trong nhân loại con người chúng ta. "Con Người" phải có nghĩa là một cái gì đó sâu sắc, cao trọng hơn cả quyền lực của loài người.
Vinh quang của Đức Maria không chỉ là một đặc ân cá nhân mà có thể được so với sự phục sinh và lên trời của Chúa Giêsu con của bà, nhưng đó cũng một lời hứa mà Thiên Chúa đã hứa ban sự vinh quang đó cho chúng ta ngày sau. Sự vinh quang đó không những chỉ được chú trọng vào nhân phẩm độc đáo của Đức Maria như là người mẹ của Chúa Giêsu, mà cònchú trọng đến số phận của chúng ta nữa. Đức Maria đã có cuộc sống thực tế của con người, và bà cũng sẽ phải chết như con người chúng ta, nhưng Đức Maria cả hồn lẫn xác đã được đưa vào thiên đàng. Đây cũng là một lời nhắc nhở cho chúng ta biết rằng vào ngày cuối của cuộc đời, chúng ta cũng sẽ được như vậy, chúng ta cũng sẽ được sống lại từ cõi chết, và thân xác của chúng ta sẽ được mặc lấy sự không hư nát, và trong sự sống bất diệt.
Trong sự vinh quang của Đức Maria sẽ mở rộng tầm ảnh tưởng của Bà trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Đức Maria luôn luôn hiện diện với chúng ta hơn bao giờ hết một cách thiêng liêng, một sự hiện diện gần gũi có sức mạnh hơn nhiều so với sự hiện diện thể xác. Đây chính là một cái sức mạnh đã gắn bó chúng ta với Đức Maria và để chúng luôn biết rằng Đức Maria luôn ở giữa với chúng ta, và chúng ta như đám gà con đang được săn sòc và ấp ủ dưới cách gà mẹ, nhất là mỗi khi chúng ta âu lo, bị căng thẳng hay bị những khổ đau chồng chất trong cuộc sống hàng ngày chúng ta.
Đức Maria luôn khuyên nhủ chúng ta là muốn vác lấy thập giá của chúng ta một cách kiên trì và nhẫn nhục như Mẹ đã gánh lấy Thánh giá của Mẹ khi xưa. Chính Mẹ muốn thúc đẩy chúng ta nên bắt chước Mẹ là nên phục vụ người khác một cách quảng đại và vui vẻ như Mẹ phục vụ. Và cuối cùng, Chính Đức Maria cũng đã tạo niềm cảm hứng cho chúng ta để biết siêng năng cầu nguyện thường xuyên như Mẹ đã làm. Ai có thể là một người mẹ, một cổ động viện tốt hơn cho chúng ta so với Đức Maria, Mẹ của chúng ta?
When we see a member of our family in intense pain, we feel pain, too. The gospel reading presents us Jesus hanging on the cross and below are his mother and the women friends with John the apostle keeping him company and support. Jesus is not outdone in generosity and concerns, so he uttered words of comfort to his mother saying, "This is your son," and to his beloved disciple, a plea for his mother saying, "This is your mother." The scene is heart-rending, but it is also of utmost concern.
Once a mother with a son and two daughters who wanted to join a foreign missionary institute said, "If I had one more daughter I'll still gladly give her to the Lord. The mother told her daughters upon their departure for the foreign mission not to worry for her, for certainly the Lord will take care of her. Soon her son got married and lived separately. Left alone without any of her children around, she entered a nursing home while waiting for the arrival of the missionaries. The son arrived and the daughters arrived. The following day she went home to heaven with the Lord. Was this woman rewarded for allowing her daughters to leave her and go to the foreign mission?
Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Đức Mẹ Hồn Xác Lên Trời
Sự vinh danh của Đức Maria không chỉ là một đặc ân cá nhân mà có thể được so sánh với sự phục sinh và lên trời của Chúa Jêsus con của Mẹ, nhưng còn cả những lời hứa và cam kết về sự tôn vinh của chúng ta một ngày nào đó. Việc Vinh Danh Đức Maria không chỉ là việc nhấn mạnh đến phẩm giá độc nhất của mẹ như là mẹ của Chúa Jêsus, mà còn nhấn mạnh đến vận mệnh của mỗi người chúng ta, Đức Maria cũng sẽ phải trải qua một kinh nghiệm về cuộc sống con người thật sự nhất về cái chết của con người nhưng sự lên trời vào Thiên Đàng là một lời nhắc nhở rằng trong ngày cuối cùng, chúng ta cũng sẽ sống lại từ cõi chết, và thân xác chúng ta sẽ được mặc lấy sự hư nát và sự bất tử.
Một hậu quả khác của sự vinh hiển của Đức Maria là sự mở rộng ảnh hưởng của Mẹ trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Mẹ đã hiện diện nhiều hơn với chúng ta bây giờ hơn bao giờ hết trong một cách thức tinh thần, một sự hiện diện mạnh hơn sự hiện diện của cơ thể, Đó là một điểm nhấn về cái sức mạnh để biết rằng Đức Maria đang ở với chúng ta khi căng thẳng và căng thẳng tràn ngập chúng ta hoặc khi đau khổ và đau khổ Áp đảo chúng tôi.
Mary's glorification is not only a personal privilege which can be compared to the resurrection and ascension of her son Jesus, but also a promise and a pledge of our own glorification one day. It not only emphasizes her unique dignity as the mother of Jesus, but also underscores our own destiny. Mary experienced the human fact of death but her assumption into heaven is a reminder that on the last day, we, too, shall rise from the dead, and our bodies will be clothed with incorruptibility and immortality.
Another consequence of Mary's glorification is the extension of her influence in our lives. She is more present to us now than ever before in a spiritual way, a presence that is more powerful than physical presence. It is an anchor of strength to know that Mary is with us when tensions and stress beset us or when sufferings and hurts overwhelm us.
We celebrate today the Assumption of our Blessed Mother into heaven, body and soul. It was only as recent as 1950 that Pius XII solemnly defined this to be an article of our faith and declared that "the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, when the course of her earthly life was ended, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven."
From our readings alone, Mary is referred to as: full of grace, blessed among women, the woman clothed with the sun. Such titles express the Church's recognition of the honor that belongs to Mary as Mother of God. But at the same time, we cannot deny that such adulation has turned off some well-meaning Catholics. To them, Mary is seen as a rival to Jesus in honor. Some have said that Mary does not deserve this much honor because, unlike ourselves, she was not ordinary as we are. She was set apart by God and protected from evil from the very start.
But this reasoning springs from two presuppositions that must be identified. First, that somehow the honors and privileges bestowed on Mary made her less free to sin and therefore less human, less like us. The same complaint actually lurks behind the sentiment that Jesus isn't really human, like us. But are we human because we can sin, or are we human because we can do good? If being human is defined by the good that we are, since God created us good, then Mary and Jesus are more human than we are, not the other way around.
Second, that because of God's favors Mary could not have sinned. Her holiness simply flowed out from God's favors. To this, we must say that God spared Mary only from original sin, not from the possibility of sin. God's grace, God's favors always require our cooperation. And the work of grace is never a one-shot deal. It is always ongoing, always interacting with our selves, drawing us in love.
And so, Mary's honors and privileges, the crowning glory of which is her assumption into heaven, are all received by Mary on our behalf, on behalf of humanity. She is like us; we can be like her. In her glory, we catch a glimpse of the glory that awaits us.
Being holy does not mean being shielded from temptation. It means being tempted and choosing to do good anyway. We are ordinary creatures, like Mary, who depend on God to be saved. And yet, we too are extraordinary, like Mary, meant for the glory of heaven. May we all heartily join Mary as her whole being proclaims the greatness of God!
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