Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8/15
Today’s feast of the Assumption of Mary is a glorious one. There is always rejoicing in Heaven when a soul enters its gates, but can you imagine the jubilant, euphoric celebration when Mary was finally welcomed home by the Trinity that she loved and knew so dearly?
We sometimes make the mistake of oversimplifying Mary, imagining her only as a demure and quiet mother, free of sin and close to Jesus. But in today’s Gospel, there are many incredible details that shed light on Mary’s identity--not just as an obedient Hebrew girl who agreed to be Jesus’ mom, but as a mighty queen and vessel of divinity, whose “yes” echoed in the halls of Heaven and shook the gates of Hell. Throughout his Gospel account, Luke’s intentional wording sets up parallels between Mary’s Visitation of Elizabeth, and the Old Testament story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. There are several examples of this, but one beautiful one is the Greek verb “to cry out” which Luke uses to describe Elizabeth’s joyful greeting of Mary. This is the only time this specific verb is used in the entire New Testament, and we see it only five times in the Old Testament, where each time it is used to describe the melodic praise of the Levitical singers who glorify God as the Ark of the Covenant returns home. Today, the same expression is used as Elizabeth greets the new earthly vessel for God’s presence on earth: not the golden chest that housed the Ark, but Mary herself.
As Elizabeth speaks to Mary, she makes another allusion to the Old Testament when she describes Mary as “blessed among women.” This same phrase is used twice in the OT, to describe Jael and Judith in their respective stories. Both were women of heroic courage who defended Israel against hostile enemies, and both achieved victory by assassinating their opponents with a mortal blow to the head. Mary will follow in their footsteps with a similar victory; only hers will be much greater as she bears the Savior who will crush the head of sin, death, and the devil forever.
Yes, Mary is a mighty queen, a courageous mother, and a formidable opponent to evil. But as we see in her Magnificat that closes today’s Gospel, she never takes the glory upon herself--she is always giving it back to God, always pointing with love and gratitude to the true source of the victory.
[Old Testament parallels drawn with the help of scriptural commentary by Dr. Tim Gray]
Jule Coppa, Penn Campus Minister
