Assumption of Mary

Today we celebrate the Assumption of Mary, our Mother.  We see Mary as the exemplar of faithfulness, purity, humility, and obedience – all of which allow her to play such an important role in our salvation.  We see Mary enduring that “piercing of the heart” with a spirit of sacrifice and self-denial.  We see Mary giving herself fully to God.   

Yesterday we celebrated the life of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Auschwitz death camp.   Kolbe’s faith in God compelled him to shelter Jewish refugees from the Nazi’s – an act that led to his arrest.  His faith allowed him to celebrate mass each day from his prison cell even as he was dying of starvation.  Kolbe’s faith allowed him to give up his life to God and willingly die in place of a stranger.  

Now, we may never be asked to make such extreme sacrifices as that of Mary and Maximilian Kolbe.  But our faith does call for us to give all of ourselves to God – to temper our pride and ambition, to put our spiritual needs before our material needs, to put others before ourselves, to live simple lives with God at the forefront, to give up those aspects of our lives that separate us from God.   

And we know that this is a constant struggle.  But we know that we are not left to struggle alone – we know that God is at our side helping us live the life he asks of us.  All we need to do is acknowledge God and open ourselves to God’s grace.  And maybe a good way to start is to join Mary in the prayer that we hear her recite in today’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-56) – “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”.

One response to “Assumption of Mary

  1. Jim Zinsmeister

    We pray especially today for our brothers and sisters in Christ for whom struggling to the point of death is now an omnipresent reality.

    Mary, Mother of God: Pray for Us. St. Maximilian: Pray for Us.

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