Assumption of the VirginThe Solemnity of the Assumption
This takes the place of the Mass for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Vigil Mass
This
Mass is used on the evening of 14 August, either before or after First Vespers
(Evening Prayer) of the Solemnity. It fulfils our Sunday obligation.
Readings
(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)
This page gives the readings for both the Vigil Mass and the Sunday Mass.
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Luke 11:27-28 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
As
Jesus said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to
him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you
nursed!” But he said, “Blessed
rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Mass celebrated on Sunday
Readings
(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)
This page gives the readings for both the Vigil Mass and the Sunday Mass.
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Luke 1:39-56 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill
country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the
house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby
leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud
cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of
your womb! And why
is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting
came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that
there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken
to her from the Lord.”
And Mary said
“My soul magnifies
the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices
in God my Saviour,
for he has looked on the humble estate
of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call
me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done
great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud
in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble
estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has
sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his
offspring for ever.”
And Mary remained with her
about three months and returned to her home.
The Assumption is a feast that celebrates what we profess in the Nicene Creed, I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. In the Apostles' Creed we pray, I believe in . . . the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen. We rejoice in the fact that what we hope for at the end of time, the resurrection of our bodies in glory, has already happened to Mary.
It is very striking that the gospels for the Vigil Mass - Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed! – and for the Mass on the 15th are about the beginning of life, not the end of life. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (Luke 1:41-44, ESVUK).
Some years ago in the Philippines after celebrating Mass on the feast of the Visitation, when this same gospel is read, I gave a blessing to a girl in her late teens, unmarried and pregnant. She found it very difficult to accept the baby as her own. After I had blessed her and her baby she told me that she could feel the child moving in her womb and that she felt at peace with the situation.
The Second Readings in both Masses speak to us of the meaning of death for Christians: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, Vigil Mass) and But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:20-21, Sunday Mass).
These readings and the Solemnity of the Assumption itself speak to us of the dignity of human life at its beginning and at its end. It speaks to a world that almost everywhere sees it as a ‘human right’ to destroy an unwanted human being in the womb. It speaks to a world that in more and more places sees it as a ‘human right’ to choose to end the lives of old people or persons, even children, with serious illnesses.
From the Angelus address of Pope Benedict in Castel Gandolfo, 15 August 2008:
Mary assumed into Heaven points out to us the final
destination of our earthly pilgrimage. She reminds us that our whole being -
spirit, soul and body - is destined for fullness of life; that those who live
and die in love of God and of their neighbour will be transfigured in the image
of the glorious Body of the Risen Christ; that the Lord will cast down the
proud and exalt the humble (cf. Lk 1: 51-52). With the mystery of her
Assumption Our Lady proclaims this eternally. May you be praised for ever, O
Virgin Mary! Pray the Lord for us.
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 8-8-2021 if necessary).
Lesson: Judith 13:22-25; 15:10. Gospel: Luke 1:41-50.
Authentic Beauty
Authentic beauty, however, unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond.
I came across this by accident. It is a Spanish hymn in honour of the Blessed Mother. The lyrics, in Spanish and English, are here.
This was sung at the funeral of Queen Fabiola of Belgium on 12 December 2014. I take it that the choir consists of Spaniards living in Vilvoorde, Belgium, which has the oldest Carmelite monastery in the world and which I have visited. Some of the nuns there are from the Philippines. The hymn captures for me the joy I have often experienced at funerals, along with grief, because of the hope that our faith as Christians in the Resurrection gives us. The Assumption reinforces that hope. The hymn also expresses something of the warmth of the faith that Spain bequeathed to its former colonies and that I experienced in the Philippines, especially a tender love for our Blessed Mother.
The hymn, especially as sung here, is another example of something that is part of the local identity of a people, in this case Spaniards, and, because of that, is something that all who have a strong sense of their own personal and communal identity can identify with.
Queen Fabiola was Spanish. She and her husband King Baudouin, who died in 1993, were devout Catholics with a great devotion to Our Lady. They became officially engaged on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. While Baudouin was alive they were known as the King and Queen of the Belgians. Those titles passed on to Baudouin's brother Albert, who succeeded him, and to Albert's wife Paola. Fabiola then acquired the title Queen of Belgium.
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