Mary is example of how to witness with our lives
(A homily on the Feast of the Assumption, 1999)
Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by contemplating in the first reading, “in the heavens, a great sign,” a woman, “the handmaid of the Lord,” has given birth to “the ruler of all the nations,” and is there, “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
As this passage from the Book of Revelation points out all authentic devotion to Mary the Mother of the Lord is necessarily directed toward Jesus. Not once in the New Testament is Mary mentioned without reference to her Divine Son at least implicitly.
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Two thousand years ago by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Son of Man was born of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. As she herself says in today's Gospel, the Father choose her for a unique mission in the history of salvation and she responded with a complete openness: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.”
What can Mary, whose motherhood began in Nazareth and was lived most intensly at the foot of the cross, teach us about living our faith and proclaiming the good news? She teaches us total surrender to God.
For our brother Scott Traynor, who will be ordained today as a transitional deacon, Mary becomes a model teaching him how to accept God's gift of the diaconate with grateful love, fully appreciating it as she did in the Magnificat.
Scott, through Mary's intercession, may God give you the gift of generosity in the life of service you are now called to live. May God give you the grace of purity and fidelity in the obligation of celibacy, following Mary's example as the faithful Virgin, the grace of a burning, merciful love, in the light of her witness as the “Mother of Mercy.”
May these words from the ordination rite lead you:
“Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”
Sister Charleen Badiola, as you renew your religious vows today, may the Virgin of the Visitation bring Jesus to you as she did for Elizabeth in the Scriptures. May this guide you as you go forth as a Daughter of St. Mary of Providence to meet human needs, to bring help, and above all, to be the healing hands of Christ. May the Blessed Mother intercede for you that you may live a life of complete dedication to Christ – ever ready in obedience, courageous poverty and receptive and fruitful virginity, seeking always to fulfill faithfully God's will for you.
May all the consecrated men and women jubilarians in our diocese be sustained through the intercession of Mary and strive to live as she lived. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Finally, as we welcome so many today celebrating the anniversary of their vocation of marriage, the words of our Blessed Mother shared at the wedding feast of Cana come to mind: “Do whatever he tells you.” Like Mary at the foot of the cross, keep your eyes fixed on Christ, for yours is a partnership of life and love raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. Each of you live it out in your own way, but the ingredients are the same – trust, openness, tenderness, compassion, hope and also a little suffering.
For Scott, Sister Charleen, all our anniversary couples, and indeed for each one here, may we be willing to hear the word of God and keep it.
Here are the ways we can all be witnesses as we meet the challenge of our call to evangelize:
"¢First, we need to let the Word touch our hearts and set us on fire for Christ. We must grow in enthusiasm for the faith so we freely share it with others.
"¢Knowing we live in God's presence, we seek to remove through reconciliation and forgiveness anything which keeps us from God and one another. We are called to purify our witness so that we can invite others.
"¢Foster Gospel values in our society promoting the sanctity of life, the dignity of all persons, the importance of family and the need to be transformed by Christ so we might embrace the cross.
As we move toward the next Millennium, we call to mind the words of the Marion antiphon from the Liturgy of the Hours: “The people who have fallen yet strive to rise again” and call upon the Redeemer and his mother with the plea: “Assist Us.”
