Homily: Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast of the Assumption (Lk. 1:39-56) “How Well Do We know Mary?”
We take a lot of pride in our gardens and our yards. If we were to drive down the street looking at all the homes, how would we know which ones are a Catholic household? We may see someone with a cross somewhere around their property which would tell us that they were Christian, but how would we know where the Catholics live?
There are probably a couple of different statues that we might see in a Catholic’s yard. One would be a statue of St. Francis of Assisi. The other would be a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Probably they would be on a pedestal. Perhaps their likeness would be enshrined in a grotto. Flowers might be planted nearby.
Catholics feel a great affinity for these two figures. In a way they are nonthreatening, not controversial. Everybody likes St. Francis. Everyone likes the Blessed Virgin Mary. No matter what political party people are, they like them. Whether one considers themselves conservative or liberal we probably admire them. But do we really understand what they stood for?
Someone once came up with the term “domesticating Christ.” What that means is that we tend to tame the message of Jesus. Jesus’ message is often distilled into the idea that we are to “be nice to each other.” If this is the totality of Jesus’ message then we must ask the question, “How did he ever get arrested, tortured, put to death?” Jesus’ message was more controversial than that. His Theology was called for nonviolent change. Just consider his first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” If we follow Jesus, we give up worldly appetites. If we try to root out our love for things, if we do not seek power, if we don’t want attention, then what? For most of us that is uncomfortable.
St. Francis of Assisi was a radical follower of Jesus. He looked at the society he grew up in the 11th century. He saw two classes of people, rich and poor. He asked the question, “What would happen if the rich shared their wealth with the poor? Francis rejected materialism. He cast off his fine clothes. He gave up his inheritance. He preached against militarism. Like Jesus he was a threat to the established order. He was a troublemaker. The church tolerated him but didn’t like him. At the end of his life, his own brothers thought he was too idealistic. And they rejected his leadership. That was the real St. Francis.
On this Feast of the Assumption (Mary’s feast) we could ask if we appreciate the real Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary seems pretty quiet in the Gospel. For the most part, she does not speak. Because there are not a lot of her words in the Gospel, a lot of people have put words in her mouth. Some people have even claimed to be her spokesperson in church history.
Very few have quoted the words that she said in her one major speech in the Gospels. The canticle, we call the Magnificat, is said in the evening pray of the church every night. We read it today. Mary was a product of her religion. She knew that the Messiah would come. She knew that the day of the Lord was at hand. So, when she spoke in the Gospel of Luke at the time of the Visitation, she uttered a very revolutionary message that was drawn from the prophets and prophetesses that had gone before her.
What did she say? She said, “God has mercy on those who fear him. God scatters the proud in their conceit. The Lord casts down the mighty. God lifts up the lowly. The Lord feeds the hungry. God sends the rich away empty.” Mary left little doubt whose side God is on in the class struggles of our world. God is always on the side of the poor.
Christ’s face is the face of the powerless in our world. Mary’s is that feminine face of the poor. To appreciate Mary’s feast today we might ask where Mary is at this moment. She may be in heaven sitting on a thrown with a golden crown, but she is also in the woman of war-torn Afghanistan who might lose whatever status they have gained over the last twenty years. She is in the women refugees who are at our borders asking for asylum for their children. She is in the women who live in poverty in our country who suffer because of the effects of COVID 19. Where women suffer, we see Mary’s face. Whenever we see the strong women fighting oppression, we also see Mary.
This is who Mary is. She is the God bearer. She is also the one seeks peace and justice. When we look at the statue of Mary at our homes, let us always remember who she really is.
Reflection Questions:
- What appeals to me about the Blessed Virgin Mary? Does she comfort me or challenge me?
- Mary is said to be a saint. Do I think I could ever be like her? If not, why not?
Dear Parishioners,
The school year started this past week. This will be a challenging year for all our children. There seems to be a lot of consternation about many things. I wonder sometimes if we keep things in perspective.
I heard for example that many vaccines are going to be thrown out in the United States because people do not want to be inoculated. We have the right to refuse the vaccine whereas people around the world who live in poverty would love to have the opportunity to receive a vaccine. The injustice of this should make us all think twice. If we do not squelch the pandemic, whose fault will it be? As Walt Kelly wrote in his Comic strip Pogo on Earth Day in 1970, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
The Catholic Church has never had a moral stance which says, “My personal freedom is absolute.” The Catholic Church has always believed in the moral imperative that revolves around the common good. We always sacrifice personal freedom when it is for the good of the community. That is what we want to teach our children.
When we catch ourselves using the words me and mine more that the words, we and ours, then somehow we have gone off track. Jesus always put others needs ahead of his own. We seek to follow him as Christians even if it is hard and hurts a little.
Let us pray that our divided country gets its moral bearings soon before we do irreparable damage.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over us today.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Congratulations to Mike and Denise Maynard and Matthew Martel as Mike and Matt are installed as acolytes today by Bishop Tylka.