The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Praying with St. Josemaria Escriva

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is August 15th.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII stated in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus: “We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

Pope Pius XII also expressed in the same document that, “this truth which is based on the Sacred Writings, which is thoroughly rooted in the minds of the faithful, which has been approved in ecclesiastical worship from the most remote times, which is completely in harmony with the other revealed truths, and which has been expounded and explained magnificently in the work, the science, and the wisdom of the theologians – we believe that the moment appointed in the plan of divine providence for the solemn proclamation of this outstanding privilege of the Virgin Mary has already arrived.”

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Gospel of the Day (USCCB) | 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, “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, and 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 forever.”

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

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Quotes by St. Josemaria for Prayer and Reflection

• “Assumpta est Maria in coelum: gaudent angeli! —God has taken Mary —body and soul— to Heaven: and the Angels rejoice! So sings the Church. —And so, with that same outburst of joy, do we begin our contemplation in this decade of the Holy Rosary: The Mother of God has fallen asleep. —Around her bed are the twelve Apostles. —Matthias in the place of Judas. And we, through a grace respected by all, are also at her side. But Jesus wants to have His Mother, body and soul, in Heaven. —And the heavenly Court, arrayed in all its splendor, hails Our Lady. —You and I —children after all— take the train of Mary’s magnificent blue cloak, and so we can watch the marvelous scene. The most Blessed Trinity receives and showers honors on the Daughter, Mother, and Spouse of God… —And so great is Our Lady’s majesty that the Angels exclaim: Who is she?” (Holy Rosary, Glorious Mysteries)
• “‘Mary has been taken up to heaven by God in body and soul, and the angels rejoice.’ Joy overtakes both angels and men. Why is it that we feel today this intimate delight, with our heart brimming over, with our soul full of peace? Because we are celebrating the glorification of our mother, and it is only natural that we her children rejoice in a special way upon seeing how the most Blessed Trinity honors her.” (Christ is Passing By, no. 171)
• “Mary’s humble song of joy, the Magnificat, recalls to our minds the infinite generosity of the Lord towards those who become like children, towards those who abase themselves and are sincerely aware that they are nothing.” (The Forge, no. 608)
• “What must the cheerful way that Jesus looked upon people have been like? It must have been the same which shone from the eyes of his Mother who could not contain her joy — Magnificat anima mea Dominum! — and her soul glorified the Lord while she carried Him within her and by her side. Oh, Mother!: May we, like you, rejoice to be with Him and to hold Him.” (Furrow, no. 95)
• “Do everything unselfishly, for pure Love, as if there were neither reward nor punishment. But in your heart foster the glorious hope of heaven.” (The Way, no. 668)

Cover Image: “Assumption” (1600) by Guido Reni via WikiArt