The firstfruits

Munificentissimus Deus -- Defining the Dogma of the Assumption, Pope Pius XII, November 1, 1950

Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.

She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”

1 Cor 15:20-27
Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

St. Ignatius had a passionate devotion to Mary, and in his Spiritual Exercises, he often urges us to go to God not only through Jesus, but also through Mary. The first contemplation Ignatius recommends for the Resurrection is the appearance of Jesus to his Mother. Ignatius acknowledges this first apparition of the Risen Lord is not mentioned in Scripture, but he goes on to say that common sense tells us it is so. It seems to me that this is the best way to prepare to celebrate Mary's Assumption into heaven, which, in a way, is her own Resurrection. Like her Son, because she was sinless, she did not have to go through the corruption of the Body that all other mortals go through at death. Rather, she was taken body and soul into heaven, truly the first-fruits of Christ's own resurrection. No wonder there are so many accounts of her appearing to people of simple faith! Like her Son she has the ability to be present to us in a new way. She is able to intercede for us not-so-immaculate children of God in a unique manner.

Use your God-given imagination and put yourself into the scene of Jesus appearing to his blessed Mother in body and soul. Enter into the intense consolation, the ecstatic joy of that unique encounter and ask for the grace to rejoice and be glad intensely at so great a glory and joy of both Mary and Jesus. Delight in this scene and allow your own heart to be filled with longing for the fulness of life and love that is the promise of God for all those who follow the path that Jesus marked out for us in his life and teaching and death on the cross. Then, reflect on today's Gospel:

Lk 1:39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“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.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.