August 15, 2020
“From now on I will be congratulated by all generations,
because the Mighty has done great works in me”
Readings
First Reading
Reading the book of Revelation 11, 19a; 12, 1. 3-6a. 10ab
The sanctuary of God opened in heaven, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his sanctuary.
A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman dressed in sun, and the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars upon her head; and she’s pregnant, and she screams with labor pains and the torment of giving birth.
And another sign appeared in the sky: a great red dragon that has seven heads and ten horns, and on their heads seven headbands, and its tail drags one-third of the stars from the sky and threw them upon the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman who was to give birth, to devour his son when he gave birth.
And he gave birth to a son, who is to shepherd all nations with an iron rod, and his son was snatched with God and by his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a God-ready place.
And I heard a great voice in heaven that said:
“Now salvation and the power and reign of our God, and the power of his Christ, have been established.”
Psalm
Come out 44, 10. 11-12. 16
R/. Standing to your right is the queen, enjoyed with ofir’s gold.
Daughters of kings come out to meet you,
standing to your right is the queen,
enjoyed with ofir’s gold. R/.
Listen, daughter, look: tilt your ear,
forget your village and the father’s house. R/.
Garment is the king of your beauty:
stand before him, that he is your lord. R/.
They bring them between joy and algazara,
they’re entering the royal palace. R/.
Second Reading
Reading the Apostle Paul’s first letter to Corinthians 15, 20-27a
Brothers:
Christ has risen from the dead and is the first of those who have died.
If death came for a man, for a man came the resurrection. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
But each one in his post: first Christ, as a scoop; then all who are of Christ, at his coming; then the end, when Christ gives the kingdom to God the Father, when he has annihilated every principality, power, and strength.
For Christ must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death, because he has subdued everything under his feet.
Gospel
Reading the Holy Gospel according to Luke 1, 39-56
In those days, Mary got up and hurriedly made her way to the mountain, to a city of Judah; entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
It came to pass that, as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the creature leapt into her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and, raising her voice, exclaimed:
“Bless you among the women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb!
Who am I to be visited by my Lord’s mother?
Well, as soon as your greeting came to my ears,
the creature leapt with joy into my womb.
Blessed is the one who believed,
because what the Lord has told him will be fulfilled.”
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God, my savior;
because he has looked at the humility of his slave.”
From now on I will be congratulated by all generations,
because the Mighty has done great works in me:
“his name is holy,
and his mercy reaches his faithful from generation to generation.”
He feats with his arm:
scatters the proud of the heart,
“brings down the mighty from the throne
and entols the humble,
to the hungry the groceries of goods
and the rich are fired empty.
Help Israel, your servant,
remembering mercy”
“As I had promised our parents—
“in favor of Abraham and his offspring forever.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and returned home.
Comment
The Assumption to Heaven, in soul and body, is a divine privilege given to the Holy Mother of God for her particular union with Jesus. It is a bodily and spiritual union, initiated since the Annunciation and matured throughout Mary’s life through her unique participation in the mystery of the Son. Mary always went with the Son: she was her first disciple. The existence of Our Lady developed as that of an ordinary woman of her time: she prayed, she managed the family and the house, she frequented the synagogue… But every daily action was always done in total union with Jesus. And in Calvary this union reached the peak in love, compassion and suffering of the heart. That is why God gave him full participation in the Resurrection of Jesus. The body of the Holy Mother was preserved from corruption, like that of the Son.
We are called to serve and glorify God with all our being, soul, and body. Serving God only with the body would be a slave action; serving it only with the soul would be in contrast to our human nature. In the year 220, St Irenaeus stated that “the glory of God is the living man, and the life of man consists of the vision of God”. If we had lived like this, in the joyful service to God, which is also expressed in a generous service to our brothers and sisters, our destiny, on the day of the Resurrection, will be like that of our heavenly Mother.
(Pope Francis, 15-8-2018)
Prayer
Lady of Easter, Lady of Friday and Sunday,
Lady of night and morning, Lady of Silence and the Cross,
Lady of love and dedication, Lady of the word received and of the word bent,
Lady of peace and hope.
Lady of all the games because you are the Lady of Transit or Easter.
Listen to us, today we want to tell you: thank you very much.
Thank you very much, ma’am, for your “do it”, for your complete availability as a slave,
for your poverty and your silence, for the joy of your seven swords,
for the pain of all your departures, which were giving peace to so many souls.
Thank you so much for staying with us,
despite time and distances.
Our Lady of Reconciliation, image and principle of the Church:
today we leave in your heart poor, silent and available,
this Easter Pilgrim Church.
An essentially missionary Church, ferment and soul of the society in which we live,
a prophetic Church that is the proclamation that the Kingdom has already arrived.
A Church of true witnesses, embedded in the history of men,
as the Lord’s saving presence,
source of peace, joy and hope. Amen.
(Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga)
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