Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Reflection
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, the fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary, reminds me that our Virgin Mother, though most blessed of all women, had a difficult life.
Think about it! Even she, who was conceived without sin so she could bear the Son of God, had to be infinitely patient as the events of her life unfolded. Her Son was “lost” in the temple as a child, then later, when He was a grown man He was wrongly accused, tortured and killed right in front of her! For a few brief days after the Resurrection until the Ascension she got to see Him, but then she was separated from Him once again, and like all of us, had to wait for that time when at last she would be united with Him in heaven.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss Marilyn, Alicia, and Lily when I’m out of town for just a week! Who knows how old Mary was when she “fell asleep”! But however long she waited her longings must have been tremendous, because she faced a “double whammy” of anxiousness; not only was Jesus her son, but her Savior as well! Can you imagine that feeling—one of inconsolable sorrow at the loss of a child tempered with an indescribable joy at the certainty of salvation? Wow.
Like Mary, we all have to be patient, and let the chapters of our lives play out.
How do we do it; with reluctance and tepidity? Or do we follow the lead of Our Mother, who meditated on the Word, was faithful to it and supported and encouraged others to do the same?
As I reflect on this morning’s Mass, the words "joyful hope" said in the prayer after the Pater Noster are the words that, for me, characterize Mary and show me what kind of attitude I should cultivate as I await the time when at last the veil is broken and no more obstacles obstruct the view of our final and most longed-for destiny - to eternally dwell in the presence of the Lord.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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