Sunday Inbox Inspirations
The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
Cycle B
August 15, 2021
A Guide Sees God
There is a story about a man and his young son who went on a camping trip in the mountains of New Mexico.
They hired an experienced old guide, a Native American. He led them into areas that they probably would never have found on their own.
This old guide was always pointing out beautiful little sights that most hikers would have missed. The young son was fascinated by the guide’s ability to see so much in the surroundings.
One day he said to this Native American, “I’ll bet that you can see God out there.” The old guide smiled and replied, “Son, as life goes on it’s getting hard for me to see anything but God out there.”
Mary Sees God in the Child
That wise, old guide helps us to appreciate why we in our tradition hold Mary in such a place of honor.
Mary sees God everywhere in her life. To begin with, she sees God at work in bringing this special child into the world.
Mary does not really understand this, but she still sees the power and mystery of God at work. She is open to God’s presence.
Mary Sees God in the Poor
Then, in today’s gospel, we hear the story of Mary visiting her older cousin Elizabeth.
In this visit, Mary offers the prayer or canticle that we just heard. Experts in Scripture call this prayer of Mary the great reversal.
The idea is that some people, in the religion of Mary’s day, saw affluence, success, or power as signs of God’s favor and presence. In fact, we still this in some Christian preachers today – that faith will lead to physical and material comfort.
But here, in this prayer, Mary sees the reverse – that God has reversed things. Just think of her words.
She sees God as lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry, and favoring the weak. It is as if Mary has already seen the truth of the words that her Son would eventually speak: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
So, in those who are materially poor, and in those who may not be materially poor – maybe like a lot of us – not materially poor but are poor in spirit – Mary sees God here. It is when we are poor in spirit that God is truly present.
It is when we know that we need and depend on God, when we know that we are not ultimately in control, when we know that we one with all other persons and not above them, and when we know that we one with all of creation and not just its master – it is then that God is present with us. Mary already sees this and sees God in all that is.
Conclusion
So, like the old guide in the mountains, Mary sees God in unlikely places and persons.
This is what makes her such a holy person. In fact, our tradition says that this is what makes her a singular human being, the most God-like of all of us.
This is why our tradition has believed that Mary came to the fullness of life with God right at the final moment of her life on earth. She was assumed, taken up by God into heaven.
This is what today’s title of the Assumption of Mary means. And I think this is why our prayer the Hail Mary is so beautiful and appropriate.
We pray: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” Maybe especially on this day in honor of the Assumption of Mary, we pray that our death may in some way be like hers.
Though we are imperfect, we ask her to be with us and pray that at our dying, we too will be taken up to heaven, to resurrected life with God. “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
Fr. Michael Schleupner
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