Aug. 15th - Assumption of Mary

This weekend, we celebrate the Assumption of Mary. St. Alphonsus Ligouri, describes the assumption. He said, “the apostles, had gathered around the bed of Our Lady because She had informed them that Her earthly time had ended and that She was going to heaven. When all the apostles had arrived, She died and then was assumed in heaven before their eyes.” He said, “Then the host of angels came in choirs, to meet Her, as if to be ready for the great triumph with which they were to accompany Her to paradise. That great soul, that beautiful dove of the Lord, was then loosened from the bands of this life; and She entered into the glory of the blessed”.

In the Old Testament, David brought the ark of the covenant to the place he prepared for it. Once the ark was placed in the tent the people of Israel rejoiced playing musical instruments and offered up burnt offerings. This is symbolic of Mary’s assumption into heaven.

The book of Revelation states, “God’s temple was opened, and the ark of His covenant could be seen in the temple”. “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun and moon under Her feet, and on Her head a crown of twelve stars.” Just as David and the people of Israel rejoiced at the entrance of the ark in the tent, so the new Israel (heaven), all of heaven (the angels and saints) rejoiced at the entrance of Mary, when She is assumed into heaven and crowned with twelve stars.

The book of Revelation said, “the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child. But the woman fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.” Mary’s womb was a safe haven for unborn baby Jesus. Her womb was “blessed” because Jesus dwelt in it. Mary’s womb was the ark for Jesus, who is the new and everlasting covenant. And once Jesus was born, Mary protected and nurtured the Child Jesus. Mary and Joseph fled into Egypt to protect the Child from Herod, who wanted to kill Him.

Mary’s Immaculate Heart is a safe haven for Her spiritual children. Through consecration to Her Immaculate Heart, She protects us from the dragon who wants to harm us. As her spiritual children, we can hide in the ark of Her Immaculate Heart.

Today, at the end of Mass we will have the opportunity to consecrate our selves, our families, our children, our marriage, our bills, our parish, our problems, our organizations: the altar society, PSR, Eucharistic Adoration, RCIA, our work, our relationships and anything and everything to Her and allow Her to help us in all our needs to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

To consecrate means to make holy. When we are baptized, we are consecrated to God, made holy and belong to Him. We become one of God’s children. When one is baptized, we profess our faith and renounce Satan, all his works and all his empty promises.

St. Louis de Montfort said, when we consecrate our selves to Mary, we are renewing our baptismal promises by renouncing sin and re-dedicating our self to God and so by consecrating our selves to Mary, we allow Her to protect us from the devil and his minions. We hide within Her Heart as a shelter from temptations and the storms of life. When we consecrate ourselves to Mary, we give Her permission help us and bring us closer to God, which makes us holy. As She always did God’s will and never sinned, She will help us to do God’s will and avoid sin by watching over and protecting our families and our parish.

God wants us every Catholic to have a devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and encourages us to turn to them. We know this because of the angel’s appearance to the children of Fatima. The angel told the children, “The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.” and the angel also said, “The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for you!”

I believe, the kinds of statues in each church are put their by God’s providence. So I believe God wants our parish to have a devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

St. Maximilian Kolbe said “by dedicating ourselves to (Mary) we become in Her hands instruments of God’s mercy as She was such an instrument in God’s hands. We should let our selves be guided and led by Mary and rest quiet and secure in Her hands. She will watch out for us, provide for us, answer our needs of body and spirit; She will dissolve all our difficulties and worries.”

By consecrating our self the Heart of Jesus, we become one with Him. We belong to Him. We allow Him to use us to accomplish His will in our life. We surrender everything to Him in gratitude for all He has done for us. Our heart will grow with a burning desire to love Jesus evermore and to love others with His Heart.

By consecrating our self to St. Joseph, we allow him to protect our home, as he protected the home of the Holy Family. He will help fathers to be good fathers. Husbands to be good husbands. We allow him to protect our possessions, as he protected God’s most precious possession, Jesus. He will help us in our work, protect our church, as he protects the universal Church. He will help us to be obedient, just, holy and virtuous in every way like he was in his life.

If you have a problem or a decision, consecrate it to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and watch them act. The hearts are attentive to our supplications.

At times the consecration can be short for example we can say, “Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph I give this problem to you. Help me.”

Dear parish family, if we live our life united to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we can be assured, when we die, we will first meet Jesus at our judgment and by the merits of the three hearts, we will enter the joys of heaven and rejoice with the angels who welcomed Mary when She was assumed into heaven. May the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be our protection and our salvation.