The Fourth Glorious Mystery

The Assumption

By May/June 2009

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Honored by God

“My heart praises the Lord; my soul is glad because of God my Saviour, for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy, because of the great things the Mighty One has done for me. His name is holy; from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honour him. He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans. He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands.” Luke 1:46-53

Reflection

Pope Pius XII in 1950 declared the Assump­tion of Mary into heaven as a doctrine of our Church: “...the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus). This honour gifted to Mary gives us great hope: she was her son’s first disciple and we too, by emulating Mary, by say­ing “Yes” to God’s will in our lives and by offer­ing to God our own song of praise, can hope to be united with God completely.

Mary’s song of joy, in response to Elizabeth’s greeting during the Visitation, expresses her simplicity, her trust, her joy. Mary praises God for all that the Creator has done. She propheti­cally announces God’s preferential option for the poor, the humble, and the hungry. She is the one chosen to be Mother of God, Mother of Jesus (“God saves”), Mother of Emmanuel (“God-with-us”), Mother of the Christ, the Anointed One. God chose a poor, humble young woman to be the mother of his son. She understood the love of God as liberator of the poor and the oppressed. She embraces the mission her son would live.

What part of Mary’s song speaks to me most loudly? Who are the hum­ble and the hungry around me? What does it mean that the proud and rich will be dethroned and left empty? How are the hungry satisfied? If I were to compose my own song to God, what would I say?

Mission Call

We are called to live out Mary’s song. We praise God for all he has done and we strive to recognize God’s hand at work in the cultures of the peoples among whom we work. We embrace God’s mission: we serve those who are hungry for justice, and we affirm the poor and the humble who do not believe in their own strength and value. We remind people of the thread of our history, from Abraham to Mary and Jesus, and to ourselves today. We strive to share what we have learned with our fam­ily and friends in our country of origin.

As we pray the rosary, let us ask God to touch the hearts of the power­ful and the rich, so that they may respond to those who suffer. Let us pray for the humble and the hungry who work for justice. Let us ask for the grace to discover our own song of praise and mission, and to live it with joy and courage.

Amazon Word

The Makuxi women make beautiful clay pots. There is a ritual that they go through, in which men cannot partake. First, the women go barefoot to look for clay and firewood. Then they work together, forming and shaping the pots. Natural dyes are used to make designs on the pots. Prayers are said, and the pots are put into a kiln for fir­ing. When finished, the women cele­brate with song. If any part of the rit­ual is not followed correctly, the pots will break in the fire. The clay pots are used for cooking food, especially the spicy “pepper-pot” filled with fish and hot peppers, and for storing puçan­gas, medicinal lotions.

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