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Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
Psalm 45:10,11,12,16
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-45
Yesterday’s vigil mass for the Assumption of Mary told the story of the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion. Today, we celebrate the passage of Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, to the Heavenly Jerusalem, where God dwells in glory.
The Gospel of Mary’s Visitation also brings out parallels between the old Ark and the New Ark. The old Ark rested in the hill country of Judah, in the house of Obed-edom, for about three months; Mary stayed with her cousin Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judea, for about three months. Both were sources of blessing. As well, David leaped as priest-king before the Ark as it was brought to Jerusalem; and John the Baptist, the son of the priest Zechariah, leaped in Elizabeth’s womb before Mary. “In his mother’s womb John the Baptist danced like David before the Ark of the Covenant; like David he recognized: Mary was the new Ark of the Covenant, before which the heart exults with joy, the Mother of God present in the world who does not keep this divine presence to herself but offers it, sharing the grace of God” (Pope Benedict XVI, 15 August 2011). The symbol of the ark in the Old Testament gives way to reality in the New Testament in a real person, in Mary, the true Ark of the Covenant.
The first reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, lifts our eyes to heaven, where we contemplate Mary not only as the true and new Ark of the Covenant, but also as the Woman clothed with the sun. The latter symbolizes that now she is totally clothed with God and totally living in God, surrounded and penetrated by divine light. The crown twelve stars symbolize that she is surrounded by the twelve tribes of Israel, by the whole People of God and the Communion of Saints. The moon under her feet symbolizes her victory over death and mortality. Mary is the great sign of the victory of love, the victory of goodness, the victory of God. It is a sign that consoles us and invites us to trust in God and to imitate Mary in her self-offering to God (see Pope Benedict XVI, 15 August 2007).
Because of her immersion in her Son’s Paschal Mystery, Mary was enabled to share in his victory over sin and death. In us, who have been incorporated into Christ’s Death and Resurrection through Baptism, Christ’s Resurrection is still incomplete; in Mary, it is complete and perfect. In Mary, the mystery of Christ has fully taken effect, redeeming her from death and bringing her, body and soul, to the Kingdom of immortal life (see Pope Benedict XVI, 15 August 2008). She has entered into the fullness of union with God and with her Son.
The Assumption of Mary is a gift of the Risen Christ to his Mother. She was the one in whom the Son of God made his dwelling, today, the day of the Assumption, she begins to dwell body and soul in God. By means of the Immaculate Conception, she was preserved from sin; by means of the Assumption, she was preserved from the corruption of the grave (Pope Saint John Paul II, 15 August 1982).
In Mary, we witness the victory of her Son over the ancient serpent, whose head is crushed. As well, when we contemplate Mary in heaven, we contemplate our definitive home. We are pilgrims in this world and we experience the battle between evil and good, the battle between those who pridefully rebel against God and those who humbly seek the will of God. One way to stay on the path that leads to life, is to keep our eyes fixed on Mary, clothed with the sun, clothed with eternal divine love (Pope Saint John Paul II, 15 August 1986). With her Jesus, she is our model and our guide.
In heaven, body and soul, Mary has been raised with Jesus and is enthroned with him. In heaven, body and soul, Mary lives the promise of salvation, offered to us in Jesus Christ. In heaven, body and soul, Mary eternally worships the Father with Christ. In heaven, body and soul, Mary contemplates in glory the very face of God. In heaven, body and soul, Mary exercises her maternal mediation for us, her children.
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Readers may contact Father Jason Mitchell at mitchelljason2011@gmail.com.
