The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

15 AUGUST 2013. The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This day we celebrate the height of humanity,
rescued from the world.
The promise of a loving God becomes a reality
for the first born among those
who dwell in the Divine Will by grace.
Death, its reign ended with the cross
and resurrection some time before,
loses its grip on the most favored of Israel's children.
She is our mother, given to us by her Son, the Redeemer.
She is our protectress,
who carries the cares and needs of others to Him.
Beginning with the feast at Cana,
she brings all her children and their needs to Him.
One with the Apostles,
present at Pentecost.
Awash in the Holy Spirit.
She proclaims her Son by her life of devotion to Him.
She proclaims her Son by her life of devotion to her children,
John and the others, entrusted to her by Him on the cross.
She awaits in hope to be reunited with Him after His ascension.
The Apostles, present at her death,
rejoice in the return of her to the Son.
For three days in the tomb, angels are heard singing.
Then,
silence.
The tomb is opened. The tomb is empty.
The assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

O Holy Mother, pray for us your children. We, the Order of Preachers, are claimed by you as your children. You have provided for us the model of Christian life: dedication to the truth of the salvation offered to the world by your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. As you are the first born of just human estate to enjoy bodily unity with God in Glory; you show to us the promise of the Father, the gift of the Son, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, brought to fulfillment in the joy of eternity with the infinite, loving God, creator of all.

Amen.