On the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Christina and I attended mass this evening at our parish in Sugar Land to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Lots of chant, song, and incense, and of course, a powerful message concerning the role of Mary in bringing us toward Christ and to the salvation God offers through His grace. The Marian dogmas tell us volumes about Christ. That is where their fundamental foundation lies, but we also have a relationship with her as we do with the whole Church in heaven and on earth. Our pastor underscored the fundamental point: We worship God alone, and we honor Mary precisely because Christ honored Mary, and Christ says to us as he said to John, Behold your mother (John 19:27). I like this meditation by St. Josemaría Escrivá:

The Catholic faith sees Mary as a sign of God's special love. God calls us his friends; his grace acts in us, winning us from sin, enabling us to reflect in some way the features of Christ, even though we are still wretched dirt. We are not stranded people whom God has promised to save. His salvation is already at work in us. In our relationship to God, we are not blind men yearning for light and crying in anguished darkness. We are children who know our Father loves us.

Mary tells us about this warmth and security. That's why her name goes straight to our heart. Our relationship with our own mother may show us how to treat Mary, the Lady of the Sweet Name. We have to love God with the same heart with which we love our parents, our brothers and sisters, the other members of our family, our friends. And we must love Mary with that same heart, too.

- St. Josemaría Escrivá, from Christ is Passing By, 142