St Mary's Primary School Crookwell
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Wade St
Crookwell NSW 2583
Subscribe: https://stmarysc.nsw.edu.au/subscribe

Email: office.stmarysc@cg.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 4832 1592

Religious Education with Mrs. Skelly

The Assumption of Mary (15 August)

This Sunday is the Catholic Church feast of the ASSUMPTION of Mary. (The beautiful images show Mary being assumed body and soul into Heaven where she is welcomed by her Son). This feast day celebrates Mary as the chosen one; chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus the Christ.

The feast of the ASSUMPTION originated in the sixth century. It was titled the Dormition or ‘Falling asleep of Mary’. By the seventh century the feast became known as the Assumption of Mary. Today it is renowned throughout the world and is a public holiday in many countries.

The Scripture reading for this feast is called the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) coming from the term magnification - the action of magnifying something or the process of being magnified. Mary prays…

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour

Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name;

Mary accepted God wholeheartedly into her life and is full of praise. Her grateful heart overflows with thanksgiving. God is the great one in her life, working marvels beyond all imagining.

Although Mary is giving thanks for the honour accorded her, this is a self-effacing prayer: it is a hymn of praise for everything the Lord has done for his people as a whole (descendants of Abraham), as well as anyone anywhere who truly loves and reveres [fears] God.

And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.

He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Throughout their history, the people of Israel faced terrible enemies. Even at the very coming of Jesus they seemed to be at the mercy of the Romans. So we have the tradition of the Lord stepping in to champion his people; to champion the poor and downtrodden.

Jesus’ preached that the poor, humble and suffering would be exalted and the exalted will be humbled. It may not appear to us to be happening, but we are asked to trust in God that all will be made right. The whole of history – who is victorious, who is downtrodden, who is exalted, is in the Lord’s hands. How lovely it would be to live with faith, hope and love like Mary did.

Mary is a figure of hope for all who journey in faith. Even though she didn’t know where that journey would take her, she trusted that God knew. The feast of her Assumption is a beautiful testimony to - and culmination of - her faithful life journey. It also brings hope that all of humanity may one day share, body and soul, in eternal life in heaven with Mary.