The Solemnity of the Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary – SUNDAY 15th August, 2021. (episode: 316)

The Solemnity of the Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary – SUNDAY 15th August, 2021. 

(episode: 316)

Readings
FIRST READING: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10
Psalm: Ps 44:10-12, 16. "The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold."
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION, (Alleluia, alleluia! Mary is taken up to heaven, and the angels of God shout for joy. Alleluia!).
GOSPEL: Luke 1:39-56
 
Shutterstock Licensed Image Credit:   stock vector ID: 270796268 -Blessed Virgin Mary Queen in triangle style - By mashabr

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To listen to an audio recording of the readings, prayers and reflections for this feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, please click this link here: 
https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-assumption-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-sun-15th-august-21-broadcast-version-e-316   (episode: 316)
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
{{Good wishes to you all.}}

On this special (Solemnity of) The Assumption Of Mary
Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.


Lord Jesus, you glorified your mother; the ark of God. Lord have mercy.

You raised the blessed virgin mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory. Christ have mercy.


Mary's assumption is the first fruits of the victory you won for the human race. Lord have mercy.
 
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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PREFACE: Glory of Mary assumed into heaven (solemnity)
Euch.Prayer: 3
 
Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.

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{thanks, everyone. And may God sustain you with his grace and love.}


Dismissal:

Go in peace
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Prologue:  This feast originated in Jerusalem before the fifth century as the "Falling-Asleep of the Mother of God." It was adopted in Rome in the mid-seventh century and was renamed the "Assumption" in the eighth century. It celebrates Mary's passing over, body and soul, from this world into the glory of her risen Son. The foretaste and forerunner of what will be the reward of all the faithful at the fullness of the resurrection on the last day.
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Fr Peter Dillon - Homily - Feast of the Assumption of Mary – 15 August 2021
We have something a little different this Sunday because what is normally a weekday feast honouring the assumption of Mary replaces the Sunday Masses with its own proper songs and prayers and texts. Let me point out just a few interesting and, in fact, I think surprising things about this feast and then, a fascinating story about the gospel that we just read

The doctrine of Mary's assumption into heaven is very, very new. Although devotion and prayer and celebrations around the welcome of Mary into heaven go back certainly as early as the sixth century, with, at times, enormous popularity among all believing Christians, with sermons and hymns and decades of the rosary. Still, it was only November 1st, 1950, that Pope Pius XII officially declared as part of Catholic belief, declared infallibly, "that when the course of her earthly life was finished Mary was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of heaven." 1950, the first surprise!

 "Body and soul"- When the Church uses that language, as it does of Christ in the Eucharist, it means the whole person. It means the real person. Here it is used to describe Mary's unique historical personality and to say that Mary, who she was and who she is now, is safe with God.

Most of the time when we hear the phrase "The Pope is infallible" or "Papal infallibility" we don't figure he is using that infallibility all the time. (He gets up in the morning and he says, "It's going to be a beautiful day," and then it rains! Oh, my goodness! Where did infallibility go?!) But, rather, we figure it is frequent enough whenever he comes out with a major edict, proclamation, encyclical, and that he must gather the information somehow mystically, almost as if by magic. Well, the 1950 declaration by the Pope about the assumption of Mary suggests something very different, in fact, just the opposite.

Guess how the Pope went about making this declaration. He contacted every bishop in the world and all the major universities and schools of theology and their faculties, and said, "Is this what you and your community believe as Catholic Christians?" ....He checked it out with the People of God. That's what he did.

Since the Church has officially declared and announced that the Pope can exercise infallibility, how often has it happened? In the many, many years, how often has it happened? .... Once! This is it! Once and once only. This is it.

Why did he decide to make this declaration and underline this feast? We know because, in the declaration, Pope Pius XII said explicitly why he was doing it. He said clearly and explicitly because the previous fifty years had included the slaughter and genocide of the Armenian people, the loss of ten million lives in World War I, the loss of forty million lives in the Russian Revolution, the loss of six million Jewish lives in the Holocaust, the loss of fifty-million lives in World War II, and the invention and use of a new weapon of mass destruction called the atomic bomb. Pope Pius XII referred explicitly to this history. He deplored the destruction of human life, the desecration of human bodies right and left, and the increasing loss of reverence and respect for the God-given identity of every human being. And he said, "What I intend, I intend that the celebration of the Assumption of Mary might make clear the sacredness and the high destiny of every single human person."

Well, I read the newspaper every morning. The loss of life from terrorism and organized assault is, if anything, increasing. We still very much need this feast. By honouring the destiny of a poor young girl from Nazareth, we might remember to honour one another, all our brothers and sisters on earth, as well.

Now, the gospel designated to be read at this Mass each year on August 15th has a fascinating story connected with it. Two decades ago, Pope John Paul II visited Latin America and including all the then military dictatorships. And he found his visit carefully censored by government officials. One text was removed from his planned visit. It was never allowed to be read, never allowed to be heard. The forbidden text is today's gospel. "Our God has shown the strength of his arm and has scattered the proud in the conceit of their hearts. God casts down the powerful from their thrones and he lifts up the lowly. God fills the hungry with good things and the rich he sends off empty-handed." That was forbidden.

I want to suggest that I think there is a need for ourselves to be careful, not to censor that out of our lives either. There are two driving forces that come up again and again in our lives and in our society. One is sheer self-interest and the other is the use of power to get our own way. And that needs to be challenged again and again in our society and in our own hearts. The common good seemed to be the standard for making decisions, and not all, but many major corporations saw as their constituency their customers and their employees. Things like a living wage, decent working conditions, health coverage and job security were seen either as their responsibility or, at least, as an acceptable price for doing business in this land. We might lament that today for many major corporations stockholders are the constituency, and the profit margin is a major concern and every other possible concern is a distant, distant second.

Now, I know business and economy and politics and our personal lives are enormously complicated. They are not simple. And all of us may well argue and disagree and debate over the wisdom of specific plans or proposals and ways of doing things. And that's fine. But we need to keep ourselves in tune with the values and vision of the gospel. That's got to be a starting point. And we need to keep ourselves in harmony with the song of Mary, who celebrated and became an instrument of a God Who raises up the lowly and is faithful to all people. May our lives magnify the Lord. May our spirits rejoice in God, our Savior. Amen.
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References:

Prologue -Fr Paul W. Kelly
Homily – fr Peter Dillon

Shutterstock Licensed Image Credit:   stock vector ID: 270796268 -Blessed Virgin Mary Queen in a triangle style - By mashabr

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria. Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

Hymn – "Rainfall – Mother of Mercy." Music by Paul W. Kelly. 1994, 2021. Words adapted by Paul W. Kelly, based on the Traditional Salve Regina Hymn. Arranged & with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2021. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

Marian Hymn – "Whom Earth and Sea and Sky Proclaim." Traditional 6th Century Hymn. Melody: Bartholomaus Gesius (d.1613). #376 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/

Marian Hymn -   "Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae." (Traditional 11th Century). Melody: Mainz (1712), Hymn #783 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/

Magnificat (Praise and sing to God) - Music by Paul W. Kelly.  (1985, 2010, 2021), Lyrics inspired by Magnificat  (Luke 1:46–55).  Music arranged, with adapted lyrics by Stefan de Freyne Kelk.  [https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk]  July 1, 2021.

[ Production - KER - 2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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Acknowledgement of Country - This is Kombumerri Country - The Traditional Custodians of this region. 
We respectfully acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First People of this country. We pay our respects to the Kombumerri people, who are the traditional custodians of the land we live and work upon, throughout this parish of Surfers Paradise. We acknowledge Elders, past and present and emerging, as they hold the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of our Indigenous people. We pay tribute to those who have contributed in many ways to the life of the community. We affirm our commitment to justice,  healing, and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.