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FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK… AUGUST 15TH, 2004
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION
Dear Fellow Parishioners,
This weekend we interrupt the cycle of the Sundays of Ordinary Time to celebrate another major feast-day of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This weekend we recall another dogma or belief that we hold as Roman Catholics: that Jesus' mother, Mary, was assumed body & soul into heaven at the moment of her death. We believe that this singular privilege was given to Mary for two basic reasons: first, that because Jesus received His human body from His mother, Mary, it was fitting that her body not see corruption as the psalmist proclaimed when he said: "…BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO THE NETHERWORLD, NOR WILL YOU SUFFER YOUR FAITHFUL ONE TO UNDERGO CORRUPTION." (See Psalm 16: 10.) Mary is that "faithful one" as attested to by her cousin Elizabeth who said: "BLESSED ARE YOU WHO BELIEVED THAT WHAT WAS SPOKEN TO YOU BY THE LORD WOULD BE FULFILLED." (See Luke 1:45); secondly, Mary as the "faithful one", models for us the Christian approach to living out our call as followers of her Son, Jesus Christ. She also points out our destiny. Where Mary is now, body & soul together in heaven, we are also destined to find ourselves someday.
So, as you can see, this weekend's celebration has lots of meaning in it for us. We all need role models. There is no better model for the faithful Christian than Mary, the mother of Jesus. Two qualities that stand out in Mary's life are her concern for others and her fidelity to the Lord even under the most trying circumstances. We only need to remember how Mary sacrificed three months of her time and energy to be with her elder cousin Elizabeth in order to help her out with her pregnancy and the eventual birth of her son, John the Baptist, all the while being pregnant with her own Son, Jesus. (See Luke 1: 39-56.) Then we also think of that couple in Cana of Galilee that Mary helped get out of an embarrassing situation during their wedding reception when the wine ran short. (See John 2: 1-12.) As for her fidelity under very trying circumstances, we only need to remember how she stood beneath her Son's cross on Good Friday at Calvary with John the Apostle while all the others had run away. (See John 19: 25-27.) What a different world this would be if we were each of us to put Mary's example into practice in our own individual lives this coming week! What a blessing we would be, too!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Raymond J. Tintle, OFM
Pastor
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