Collect for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

COLLECT SERIES

The Mass: Icon of the Collect Series.

COLLECT

The Collect for the Mass of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary reads as follows:

Almighty ever-living God, 

who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

 the Mother of your Son, 

body and soul into heavenly glory, 

grant we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, 

we may merit to be sharers of her glory.

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REFLECTION QUESTIONS.

In making this prayer tangible for my life during this week, the following reflection questions emerged: 

1.            In what ways do we need Mary to help us with her prayers?

2.            What is our relationship with Mary?

3.            Why is the Assumption a Holy Day of Obligation? What difference does
           this Solemnity feast have in your life?

4.            How do the prayers of the Virgin Mary bring me to the salvation of Christ?

5.            How do her prayers raise me to eternal life?

6.            How will Mary be the Mother of Christ impact on my life this coming
          week?

Let us rejoice in this Solemnity feast since it is a feast of faith, hope and love. May we live in faith and hope that we too will be raised to eternal life when God calls us to His eternal dwelling place.

GOSPEL REFLECTION.

All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Saviour.

The Assumption completes God's work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over.

The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended.

In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God.

In today's Gospel from Luke 1:39-56,, we enter into the scene of the visitation when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is also pregnant.  We can enter into the joy of these expectant mothers.  Elizabeth is carrying John the Baptist who will point the way to Jesus and baptize him. Even in his mother's womb, he lept for joy, recognizing the Messiah in Mary's womb too.

Elizabeth is overcome by the moment ' Why should i be honoured with the mother of my Lord'.  Perhaps too we can understand that expression and make it our own when Mary too 'visits' us in our daily lives with her kindness, wisdom and correction too.  Perhaps we may wish to reflect on what some of the  official apparitions of Mary mean to us?  We are being honoured with the visit of the mother of my Lord if we choose to embrace the official apparitions.

Mary's response is the hymn of praise- the magnificat.   Although she would have prayed it intensely at that moment with Elizabeth, it is not a prayer that she composed herself.  The Magnificat came from the scriptures and she would have been familiar with it.  Nevertheless,  she gave praise to God rather than have the attention on herself.  In other words, everything was in its right perspective- God first and give Him the praise and honour due to Him rather than accepting praise and power for oneself.  

May we celebrate this Solemnity in a special way regardless of whether we are in a lock down or not.  Let us give praise to God for giving us Mary, His mother to us.  

Let us celebrate with the hope that one day too we will be in Heaven.