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Gospel Reading for August 15, 2025 – Luke 1: 39-56
VERY TRUSTING AND THOUGHTFUL
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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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Typically Mary – VERY TRUSTING AND THOUGHTFUL.
The doctrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is that at the end of her earthly life, the Virgin Mary was taken, body and soul, into heavenly glory. This was declared a dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Although not explicitly stated in the bible, it is based on theological arguments and interpretations of scripture, as well as tradition.
Although there are debates in certain quarters, what is important is to RECOGNIZE the importance of Mary’s role in the salvation of humankind and give her the honor she deserves. She was chosen to be the mother of the Redeemer and played her role perfectly, therefore, she was an extraordinary person and not just one of us.
In her Magnificat, Mary never lost hope and patiently waited for the redemption of Israel. She lived her life waiting for the promise made to Abraham to be fulfilled. We can emulate her, that despite the worsening situation of our world we continue to hope for peace and be ourselves, bringers of Christ’s peace in our communities and anywhere in the world.
Mary, our dearest Mother, may your assumption give us hope that we may one day be with God in eternity!
