Reflection for Monday August 15, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Luke 1:39-56

Gospel: Luke 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, “Most 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, he 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 for ever.”  

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

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Reflection:

Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This dogma was defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1 1950. It states that the immaculate Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, after completing her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory. 

Would you exert effort to give a relative a surprise visit? Many of us are very busy that we hardly have time for this kind of noble undertaking. But if many of us have no time to reach out to our relatives the Blessed Mother always has time. 

Just imagine the Blessed Mother travelling for days on a donkey while pregnant just to give cheer to her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. Who among us would do that? Perhaps only a few because many of us have no time.  

We have already allowed this world to dictate upon us to always get busy with things of this world. Get busy at the expense of strengthening our bond with our friends and relatives? Yes, when we allow ourselves to become overly busy with worldliness. The tie that binds us to our friends and relatives take a backseat and this is not good.  

But not the Blessed Mother for she is an extra ordinary Blessed woman who is always full of love, care and compassion towards her relatives and to us also. The Blessed Mother never thought of her own safety and her own predicament (Because she was also pregnant at that time). She braved the long distance and the stress on herself just to visit her cousin Elizabeth.  

How many of us are still willing to forget ourselves just to visit our relatives and friends to make them happy with our presence? – Marino J. Dasmarinas