Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption

The biggest and most important feast we celebrate in the whole of the Christian

calendar is not Christmas, but Easter. And related to Easter, and connected

with it is the Ascension of Christ into heaven. Today’s celebration is connected

with all three of these. In the Preface today to the Eucharistic Prayer, it says:

“[R]ightly you would not allow her to see the corruption of the tomb, since

from her own body she marvellously brought forth your incarnate Son, the

Author of all life”.

So we have a connection with Christmas – Our Lady bringing forth Christ into

the world, and also the Resurrection and Ascension – Our Lady, sinless as she

was, and free from Original Sin, just like Our Lord, was taken up to heaven, the

first human being to enter heaven both with her body and her soul. For now,

we are able to go to heaven with our soul, but our body we have to leave

behind, waiting for Christ’s return in glory; then we too will receive glorified

bodies, like Christ’s resurrected body, so we can enjoy heaven with both body

and soul. For Our Lady, all has been already fulfilled; she reminds us of all we,

and those in heaven, are waiting for.

It’s also, of course, why there are no claimed relics of the body of Our Lady.

Anyone claiming to own a relic of her hand, or leg, or anything similar would

be called a fraud – her whole body went up to heaven, just the same as there are

no similar relics claimed of Our Lord. The Crown of Thorns, yes; splinters of

His Cross, yes. But of His arm, or His rib, or any other part of His body: no.

He ascended into heaven. And Our Lady was taken up to heaven at the end of

her life on earth too.

When Jesus went up to heaven, He told them, “And behold, I am with you

always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We know that Our Lady is

also with us as our Mother, and prays and looks after us from her place in

heaven. But Our Lady is dependent on the Lord: for her existence in the first

place, for being conceived without Original Sin, which was possible through

the grace flowing from Death of Christ the Cross in the future; and for her

Assumption. She is “taken up” rather than going up by her own steam.

Just as God wanted to associate Our Lady with His work of Redemption, so

now He also works through Our Lady. It’s not the only way in which He

works, but it is an important way, close to His Heart. Take one example: in

various places, Our Lady has appeared, calling people back to her Son – think

of Lourdes, or Fatima. But Our Lord has also appeared too, such as to St

Margaret Mary, when He wanted her to revive devotion to His Sacred Heart, or

when He appeared to St Faustina to make his great Divine Mercy better known

and more widely honoured, with special prayers to implore God’s Divine

Mercy upon the world. God can work by Himself. But at times, He wants to

recall us back to the important role of Our Lady.

In the first reading, it spoke of a battle between the woman clothed with the

sun, and a great red dragon. It’s apocalyptic imagery, and can be interpreted in

various ways. The woman has in the past been seen as an image of the Church,

bringing Christ to birth in humanity through the conversion of hearts and

souls. But she has also been seen as representing Our Lady. The red dragon

has been seen as the enemies of the Church: in earlier times, the pagan Roman

Empire, with its martyrdom of Christians; in more recent times, atheistic

communism, another force trying to get rid of faith in God. When Our Lady

appeared in Fatima, the same year as the Russian Revolution, she warned of

Russia spreading her errors over the world if her requests were not heeded. She

called us to pray the Rosary, and for the consecration of the world to her

Immaculate Heart. Then, later on, in 1924, she asked people to make

reparation to her Immaculate Heart with the First Five Saturdays devotion. In

all these things the world’s response has been partial. Even though

communism is largely something of a spent force, particularly in Western

Europe, it still holds sway in a more weakened form, particularly in the Far

East, and it’s principle error, atheism, is still a menace in the Western world.

The battle is not over yet. But Our Lady and Our Lord are with us always.

Today, we look with hope to Our Lady, glorified today by the Lord by her

Assumption into heaven. Down on earth, the battle still rages. Important

victories have been won. Still more are yet to happen.

Curious about exploring things further?  If you would like to ask further questions about the topics raised in these homilies (or maybe think it wasn’t explained too well!), please feel free to e-mail Fr Michael at stjoseph.thame@rcaob.org.uk