Easter of the Mother of God

Gospel
Lk 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

Sermon at St Martin-on-the-hill, Scarborough

“From this day all generations will call me blessed”

Here in the West today is called ‘The Feast of the Assumption’ of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This feast has a double object: (1) the happy departure of Mary from thislife; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven. It is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin.

In the Eastern Church it is called ‘The Dormition’ or ‘Falling Asleep’ of Mary.

In the Eastern churches,death is often called a "sleeping" or "falling asleep.” In life we fall asleep each night and awake to a new day. In death we fall asleep in this world and wake up in the next. What could be more natural?

According to the ancient tradition of the East, the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics believe that Mary, having spent her life after Pentecost supporting and serving the nascent Church, was living in the house of the Apostle John when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to her that her repose would occur three days later. The Holy Apostles, scattered throughout the world, are said to have been miraculously transported to be at her side when she died. The sole exception was the Apostle Thomas, who was characteristically late. He is said to have arrived three days after her death, grief-striken, and asked to see her grave so that he could bid her goodbye. Mary had already been laid to rest. When they arrived at the grave, her body was gone, leaving a sweet fragrance. An angel is said to have appeared and confirmed to the Apostles that Christ had taken her body to heaven after her soul.

Because of this Christians honour Mary giving her many titles including ‘Queen of Heaven’.

Another ancient name for the Feast of the Assumption is ‘The Easter of the Mother of God’. In some calendars it is preceeded by an Assumption Lent of 14 days and where processions are part of the feast the lit Paschal Candle preceeds the image of Our Lady or is processed to her statue and incense is offered to both.

Mary’s entry into heaven is a singular and unique participation in Jesus’ resurrection and in it we can rightly see a glimpse or anticipation of our own resurrection from the dead.

In her very person Mary shows us the goal and purpose of faith which is to share in the divine nature, to behold the beatific vision and to be happy and fulfilled with God for ever in the bliss of eternal life in company with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Mary is truly our Mother in this faith and we do indeed called her ‘blessed’.

Last Tuesday we commemorated the death of John Henry Newman who, within the year, will also be pronounced ‘blessed’ by his beatification in Birmingham. Here is what he wrote to an Anglican friend in 1864 (Pusey):

“Christ condescended ‘not to abhor the Virgin’s womb’. Is it surprising then that, on the one hand, she should be immaculate in her conception or, on the other, that she should be honoured with an Assumption, and exalted as a Queen with a crown of twelve strs and the rulers of day and night to do her service? Men sometimes wonder that we call her ‘Mother of life, of mercy, of salvation’. What are these titles compared to that one name ‘Mother of God’?”