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The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Because August 15 is the feast of the Assumption of Mary, the readings of this 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time are put aside so that we can celebrate this most important solemnity:

The Word for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mass during the Day
Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab
Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56

For this feast day dedicated to Mary, we put aside the Hebrew Scriptures and begin with a reading from the Book of Revelation.  Here in this passage we have an image of Mary that is not unlike many of the artistic representations we’ve seen in paintings, frescos, mosaics, and statues.  But then the vision turns darker as we learn that this woman is about to give birth with a dragon preparing to devour the child.  But God is looking out for them as the child is “caught up to God” and the woman flees to a safe place in the desert.  Then we hear the declaration from Heaven of salvation coming from this Anointed One.  As this passage relates to our feast day, we are reminded that the salvation of this Anointed One is due to the acceptance, courage, and devotion of Mary.  Our Psalm is a reflection of the picture of Mary from Revelation as we sing, “The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.”

Again, because of this special feast day, our second reading takes a break from our study of St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians with this passage from Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians.  In this passage we are reminded of how Jesus concurred death and restored us to life, with everything subjected to him.  As we are celebrating the Assumption of Mary, the focus for this reading isn’t so much on what Jesus did for us, but that without Mary’s devotion Jesus could not have brought us to everlasting life.

Our Gospel from Luke then takes us back to Mary’s visit with her cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah.  This is the passage that gives us basis of our “Hail Mary” prayer.  The child (John the Baptist) in Elizabeth’s womb jumps with joy at the presence of the pregnant Mary.  Following this is what we know as the “Magnificat” or “The Canticle of Mary” where she proclaims the greatness of the Lord – a fitting gospel for the celebration of the Assumption of Mary.

Final Thoughts:
The solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holy day of obligation for all Catholics.  Although this was always a special celebration for the church, it wasn’t until November 1, 1950 that Pope Pius XII declared the assumption of Mary to be official dogma for the church.  In fact, this declaration by Pope Pius was one of just a handful of papal declarations made under the definition of Papal Infallibility that was established under the First Vatican Council.

This is also a good opportunity to clarify our understanding of the pope’s authority to declare something as an infallible teaching.  While many people are aware of the doctrine of papal infallibility, most don’t realize that the exercise of this doctrine isn’t automatic and follows a specific protocol.  In fact, Pope Benedict XVI once stated, “The Pope is not an oracle; he is infallible in very rare situations, as we know.”  Pope John XXIII also said of infallibility, “I am only infallible if I speak infallibly but I shall never do that, so I am not infallible.”  So the fact that the Assumption of Mary was elevated to dogma through papal infallibility shows us how important this feast and this teaching is to our understanding of Mary.

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