Assumption of Mary 2019

[Mark Dohle]

Assumption of Mary 2019

“While she lived on this earth,, Mary could only be close to a few people. Being in God, who is close to us, actually, “within” all of us, Mary shares in this closeness of God. Being in God and with God, she is close to each one of us, knows our hearts, can hear our prayers, can help us with her motherly kindness and has been given to us, as the Lord said, precisely as a “mother” to whom we can turn at every moment.” Benedict XVI

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I have given up trying to explain the Assumption and devotion to the saints for a long time age to non-Catholics. What seems perfectly understandable to Catholics, Anglicans (some of them) as well as the Orthodox, is for many good, loving brothers and sisters in Christ almost impossible.


Of all of God's creatures, it is believed that Mary, above all others, put on the Mind-of-Christ. As St Paul so wonderfully states: In life we are called upon to put on the mind of Christ Jesus:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[c] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.—Phil 2:5-8

The more we allow the Mind-of-Christ to move us, the more deeply we learn through grace to love all. We become aware of our own need for grace, mercy, forgiveness, and we then impart it to others. We begin to expand for whom we pray. We begin to see all men and women as brothers as sisters, beloved of God, and for whom Christ Jesus died. Each man and woman is loved in their own unique way as God’s only child.

So Mary, who was given to us on the day that Christ was crucified, shows us the way to Christ Jesus. She like Christ Jesus, is a servant, in her humility is her greatness. The more deeply we understand our need for grace, the closer we are to the Father.

She is honored above all women. She was pregnant with God, just as we are called to give birth to Christ Jesus in our lives. When this is done, even without knowing it, we become lights for others because we allow God’s grace to flow out of our hearts towards others.

The saints have the Mind-of-Christ, those who have died loving God, become one with God, and because of the love and closeness, they become one with us. They are not enclosed in some heaven far off, but are with us, praying for us all. As when going deeper into the Body of Christ, we will do the same. For heaven is really God’s love in us, and love cannot be contained, it will burst forth to serve and love others.

In Mary’s Assumption, we see ourselves, our future, for we will become like Christ Jesus, we will become Christ Jesus, because of the union of love.—Br.MD