The Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that 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."

          From the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII, "Munificentísimus Deus", defining the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven

 - November 1, 1950. 

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Booklet of the Divine Office with Gregorian Chant for Morning and Evening Prayer on the liturgical 

Solemnity of the Assumption - August 15

The beautiful centuries old antiphons of the liturgy for the Assumption gathered in the official prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, speak of our faith around Mary and the perfect way in which the Mystery of Redemption was accomplished in Her, thus fulfilling the Plan of God:

Christ ascended into Heaven and prepared an everlasting place for His Immaculate Mother, alleluia!

Through Eve the gates of Heaven were closed to all mankind through the Virgin Mother they were opened wide again, alleluia!

The Virgin Mary has been exalted above all the Heavens; come, let all men glorify Christ the King, whose Kingdom will endure for ever, alleluia!

All generations will call me Blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, alleluia!

Arise, O Virgin Queen, you are for ever worthy of our praise; take your place in the glorious dwelling place of the Eternal King!

The Lord has chose Her, his loved one from the beginning. He has taken Her to live with Him.

Glorious things are said of you, O Virgin Mary!

Blessed are you, O Mary, for the world's salvation came forth through you; now in glory, you rejoice for ever with the Lord!

The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels; let all believers rejoice and bless the Lord!

The Lord has made you so glorious that your praise will never cease to resound among men.

We acclaim you, Holy Mary, as Queen of Heave; the Sun of Justice came froth from your bridal chamber!

The Holy Mother of God is exalted in glory, above the choirs of angels, in the Kingdom of Heaven!

We share the fruit of life through you, O daughter blessed by the Lord!

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Some mystics of the Church have been given a profound insight into the mystery celebrated by the Church under the title of the Assumption.  

Here are two examples from two mystics in the way to sainthood, whose writings have been declared by the Church free-from theological error:

I

The Assumption as described by Venerable Maria of Jesus of Agreda in her "Mystical City of God" 

Our Redeemer Jesus entered heaven conducting the purest soul of his Mother at his right hand.

She should be his Companion for all eternity, possessing such a likeness to Him, that none greater can be possible between a Godman and a creature. In this light the Redeemer himself presented Her before the throne of the Divinity; and speaking to the eternal Father in the presence of all the blessed, who were ravished at this wonder, the most sacred humanity uttered these words: "Eternal Father, my most beloved Mother, thy beloved Daughter and the cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost, now comes to take possession of the crown and glory, which We have prepared as a reward for her merit.

She is the one who was born as the rose among thorns, untouched, pure and beautiful, worthy of being embraced by Us and of being placed upon a throne to which none of our creatures can ever attain, and to which those conceived in sin cannot aspire. This is our chosen and our only One, distinguished above all else, to whom We communicated our grace and our perfections beyond the measure accorded to other creatures; in whom We have deposited the treasure of our incomprehensible Divinity and its gifts; who most faithfully preserved and made fruitful the talents, which We gave Her; who never swerved from our will, and who found grace and pleasure in our eyes.

The most holy soul of Mary was immediately raised to the right hand of her Son and true God, and placed on the royal throne of the most holy Trinity, which neither men, nor angels nor the seraphim themselves attain, and will not attain for all eternity. This is the most exalted and supereminent privilege of our Queen and Lady, that She is seated on the throne with the three divine Persons and holds her place as Empress, while all the rest are set as servants and ministers to the highest King. To the eminence and majesty of that position, inaccessible to all other creatures, correspond her gifts of glory, comprehension, vision and fruition.

The full chapter on the Assumption can be read here:

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II

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as explained to the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta in her "Book of Heaven" Vol. 18  

I began to think about the feast of my Celestial Mama Assumed into Heaven; and my sweet Jesus, with a tender and moving tone, added: “My daughter, the true name of this Feast should be Feast of the Divine Will.

It was the human will that closed Heaven, broke the bonds with its Creator, made miseries and sorrow enter the field, and put an end to the feast that the creature was to enjoy in Heaven. Now, this creature, Queen of all, by doing the Will of the Eternal One always and in everything – even more, it can be said that Her life was Divine Will alone – opened the Heavens, bound Herself to the Eternal One, and restored in Heaven the feasts with the creature.

So, the true cause of this feast is the Eternal Will operating and fulfilled in my Celestial Mama. It operated such prodigies in Her as to astonish Heaven and earth, chain the Eternal One with indissoluble bonds of love, and capture the Word even into Her womb.

The very Angels, enraptured, repeated among themselves: ‘From where comes so much glory, so much honor, such greatness and prodigies never before seen, in this excelling Creature? Yet, it is from the exile that She is coming.’

Astonished, they recognized the Will of their Creator as Life operating in Her; and, trembling, they said: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy - honor and glory to the Will of Our Sovereign Lord. And glory, and trice Holy - She who let this Supreme Will operate.’

So, it is My Will that, more than anything, was and is celebrated on the day of the Assumption into Heaven of my Most Holy Mother.

It was My Will alone that made Her ascend so high as to distinguish Her among all. Everything else would have been as nothing, had She not possessed the prodigy of my Will.

It was My Will that gave Her Divine Fecundity and made Her the Mother of the Word. 

It was My Will that made Her see and embrace all creatures together, becoming the Mother of all, and loving all with a love of Divine Maternity. And making Her the Queen of all, It made Her rule and dominate. 

On that day, My Will received the first honors, the glory and the abundant fruit of Its work in Creation, and It began Its feast, which It never interrupts, for the glorification of Its operating in my beloved Mother.

And even though Heaven was opened by Me, and many Saints were already in possession of the Celestial Fatherland when the Celestial Queen was assumed into Heaven, however, She Herself was the primary cause, having fulfilled the Supreme Will in everything, and therefore we waited for She who had honored It so much and contained the true prodigy of the Most Holy Will, to make the first feast for the Supreme Volition. 

Oh! how the whole of Heaven magnified, blessed and praised the Eternal Will, upon seeing this sublime Queen enter the Empyreum, in the midst of the Celestial Court, all circumfused by the Eternal Sun of the Supreme Volition! They saw Her all studded with the power of the Supreme Fiat; there had been not even a heartbeat in Her which did not have this Fiat impressed on it. And, astonished, they looked at Her and said to Her: ‘Ascend, ascend higher. It is right that She who so much honored the Supreme Fiat, and through whom we find ourselves in the Celestial Fatherland, have the highest throne and be our Queen.’ And the greatest honor that my Mama received, was to see the Divine Will glorified.”  Book of Heaven August 15, 1925

Living Icons of Jesus through The Holy Spirit

During these days of prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our world and our lives, the Liturgy presents us, once again, with the beautiful reading of St. Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit.
I have commented before (here) some parts of this text but it is well worth reading and re-reading it. This is a great hymn and a consoling prayer that can give us theme for a quiet, contemplative time in the secret of our inner room.
I'm copying the text from the Liturgy of the Hours:

   

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The titles given to the Holy Spirit must surely stir the soul of anyone who hears them, and make him realise that they speak of nothing less than the supreme Being.

Is he not called:

            the Spirit of God,

               the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,

                  the steadfast Spirit,

                     the guiding Spirit?

But his principal and most personal title is the Holy Spirit.

To the Spirit all creatures turn in their need for sanctification;

all living things seek him according to their ability.

His breath empowers each to achieve its own natural end.

The Spirit is the source of holiness, a spiritual light, and he offers his own light to every mind to help it in its search for truth.

By nature the Spirit is beyond the reach of our mind, but we can know him by his goodness.

The power of the Spirit fills the whole universe, but he gives himself only to those who are worthy, acting in each according to the measure of his faith.

Simple in himself, the Spirit is manifold in his mighty works.

The whole of his being is present to each individual; the whole of his being is present everywhere.

Though shared in by many, he remains unchanged; his self giving is no loss to himself.

Like the sunshine, which permeates all the atmosphere, spreading over land and sea, and yet is enjoyed by each person as though it were for him alone, so the Spirit pours forth his grace in full measure, sufficient for all, and yet is present as though exclusively to everyone who can receive him.

To all creatures that share in him he gives a delight limited only by their own nature, not by his ability to give.

The Spirit raises our hearts to heaven, guides the steps of the weak, and brings to perfection those who are making progress.

He enlightens those who have been cleansed from every stain of sin and makes them spiritual by communion with himself.

As clear, transparent substances become very bright when sunlight falls on them and shine with a new radiance, so also souls in whom the Spirit shines become spiritual themselves and a source of grace for others.

From the Spirit comes

     foreknowledge of the future,

       understanding of the mysteries of faith,

         insight into the hidden meaning of Scripture,

           and other special gifts.

Through the Spirit we become citizens of heaven, we enter into eternal happiness, and abide in God.

Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God; indeed, we attain what is beyond our most sublime aspirations – we become God.

From the treatise On the Holy Spirit by Saint Basil the Great, bishop

The last paragraph makes a very bold statement on our destiny and our identity as human beings. We are created with the image and likeness of God in us (Gen 1:26) like a seed that we need to nurture and allow to grow over time in order to bring it to fruition. 

In Jesus the Christ we have the perfectly accomplished human image of God. Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life is One with God, and like Him, we too are called not only to union but to oneness with God through identification and participation in Christ.

Thus our earthly journey is about becoming like Christ, becoming Christ. We are presented in the Gospels with the Model we need to imitate in our lives with our free decision to follow Him every day. But our actions, our efforts are not enough to make us like Him. For this to happen a real transformation has to take place. We call it holiness, which is a divinization not only of our actions but also of our faculties, of our mind and our psyche, of our feelings and desires. 

Jesus fulfills his promise not to leave us orphans (Jn 14:18) by becoming, through the workings of His Spirit, the yeast of our transformation that sculpts in us his own likeness and makes of us his Living Memories, his Living Icons when and where we surrender and entrust the whole of our being to the Divine Artist who is recreating in us the human face of God.

Come Spirit of Jesus!

A Faith as Precious as Ours

The first reading at Mass for the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time presents us with the Second Letter of Peter, which starts with this enthusiastic introduction (2 P 1:1-2):

Simon Peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

to those who have received a faith 

as precious as ours ...

May Grace and Peace be yours in abundance

through the knowledge of God and Our Lord ...

Many years later the passionate fisherman from Galilee is still in awe at the newness and the marvel he found in Jesus of Nazareth, the Rabi who spoke with words of everlasting life. Peter's experience evolved from curiosity to engagement, to commitment, to discipleship, to a whole new self identity, mission, and life that he could never have dreamed of in his most wild dreams.

The Letter continues in verses 3 and 4:

His divine power has granted us everything that leads to life and devotion through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and power. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature.

This is Peter, the fisherman become first Pope, and what he is saying in a nutshell, what he is offering, what he is inviting others is that which he himself still hardly can fully grasp or find words to speak about. In very few words the Christian faith, the treasure he discovered, is about becoming partakers of the divine nature. Nothing less.

This blog is about our transformation into who we are called to be, partakers of the divine nature, in Christ. I will be reflecting on this core truth of our faith again and again, because it seems to me that somewhere in the twenty centuries of development of Christianity we have -if not lost completely, at least buried the essence of our life under layers of things to do and -too human- goals to achieve.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

As we pray for the coming of the Spirit during this time of expectation, the Liturgy of the Hours sets for us the tone. The Office of Readings in particular offers us some pearls of our faith in the words of the Fathers of the Church.


We read from the treatise On the Holy Spirit by Saint Basil the Great: "The Spirit is the source of holiness, a spiritual light, ... The power of the Spirit fills the whole universe ... Simple in himself [or herself], the Spirit is manifold in his mighty works. The whole of his being is present to each individual; the whole of his being is present everywhere ... Like the sunshine, which permeates all the atmosphere, spreading over land and sea, and yet is enjoyed by each person as though it were for him alone, so the Spirit pours forth his grace in full measure, sufficient for all, and yet is present as though exclusively to everyone who can receive him. To all creatures that share in him he gives a delight limited only by their own nature, not by his ability to give. 
The Spirit raises our hearts to heaven, guides the steps of the weak, and brings to perfection those who are making progress."


The Spirit of God is God's very self in action, always "at work" for us, with us, in us. Always available, always present, always inviting, always seducing, and always unique in expression to each person, granting Gifts for the good of all. We call them charisms:
"From the Spirit comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the mysteries of faith, insight into the hidden meaning of Scripture, and other special gifts."


These individual expressions of the Spirit in everyone of us are meant to help us in our journey. But what is the direction, the goal of that movement? Where are we going that we need the Spirit? What is it all about? What is the ultimate seduction of the Spirit? 


St. Basil concludes: "Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God; indeed, we attain what is beyond our most sublime aspirations -we become God."


We don't hear this kind of expression in our Sunday homilies and yet this "theosis" or "deification", our transformation through the journey of life, was clearly expressed by the  contemplative theologians, the Fathers and Mothers of the early Church. They wrote from their own experience, which means that this is not just the talk on "the other side" of eternity, this is about here and now, our journey on planet Earth, today.


St. Paul had already experienced and written about this: "Life, to me, is Christ" (Phil 1,21).  "It is no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me" (Ga 2,20)


M. Maria Celeste Crostarosa, a Neapolitan mystic of the XVIII century and the instrument of God for the foundation of the religious Institute of the Most Holy Redeemer with St. Alphonsus Liguori -Redemptorist missionaries and Redemptoristine nuns- writes extensively and repeatedly about the transformation of the human person into Christ, this divinization. 
In her Degrees of Prayer  (12th Degree) she describes the transformation of the person in the spiritual journey as a new creation, and makes a parallel with the Creation passage in Genesis. When she comes to the Seventh Day she writes:


"Adam being created, he relaxed and slept. That's when the Lord rested also -on the seventh day. Created-man found rest in the Divinity and the Divinity found it in Adam. Having created man for His own rest and dwelling-place, He delighted in the original model, His Son, and rested. Our soul has God for its delight and rest when she is created all over again in her original innocence.
After all these works of creation are made all over again the soul is given the likeness of the Son of God. She is given an original innocence and divine simplicity -just as man was made in the beginning. Then God rests in the soul and she sleeps and rests in God's delight."


After two more pages describing this condition of the person, M. Maria Celeste continues:
"Here it is fulfilled at last the longing man had when, in the earthly Paradise, the hellish serpent persuaded him to eat the fruit from the tree forbidden by the Lord. [The serpent said that] By eating it he would become like God. 
Just what he longed for has happened. The Lord wanted this longing of man to be fulfilled but, for man's happiness, in a different way from what the enemy had suggested.
That tree of Paradise, forbidden to Adam, was a figure of the Word of God made man, and whoever dared eating from it would die. That is, for those who eat it and die it was indicating the Jews because they would eat His flesh through envy and kill Him. 
But this fruit of life, through His death, should enliven us with eternal life. It should also become for all the chosen souls the fruit and food of life in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, where -in a real, true, and admirable way- when we ate from it, we would be transformed into the living God. 


This is the work "par excellence" of the Holy Spirit, our transformation into Christ already on this side of eternity. This is the contemplative journey. This is our destiny. 
Our daily life becomes the womb of transformation when we invite and follow the lead of the Spirit as modeled for us by so many brothers and sisters who, through the centuries, have become living memories of Christ on earth.