The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated in the universal church on August 15. It is the feast to commemorate the ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven with body and soul. This feast declares the holiness of the life of Mother Mary and gives us the hope to enjoy the eternal bliss in the hands of our Lord.

The freedom we enjoy as children of God is not something that begins only after death but also during this life on earth. The heavenly life of Mother Mary had begun when she was in this world itself. She enjoyed this freedom by leading a life fully in accordance with the will of God. When the will of God was announced to Mary, she replied “Truly I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you have said happen to me” (Lk 1: 38). It was this obedience to the will of God that had always been guiding her along the path of life. She kept her heart away from this materialistic world. She was simple before God. And it was this very simplicity that was appreciated and acknowledged by heaven. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant” (Lk 1: 46 – 47). In the book of Judith, we read: “You are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope (Judith 9: 11). These words were literally accomplished in the life of Mother Mary.

“All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (Rom 8: 14). The entire life of Mother Mary was led by the power of the Holy Spirit. The assumption of Mother Mary invites us to lead a life in accordance with the will of God and thus to attain the eternal bliss. May the Holy Spirit lead our lives also into the heaven.

Fr Joseph Mundolickal CST