Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Homily

Today through the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven we are able to display our great faith that Mary has conquered over death. This is a most meaningful celebration for each of us, because we to hopefully desire to conquer over death and to one day be able to join in perfect union with God for all eternity. We should not be alarmed at the celebration that is made this day because in no way are we celebrating Mary as an equal with God, but instead we celebrate the great faith and trust that Mary always had placed in God the Father which in return ushered her into her Heavenly reward. We to should look towards the Mother of God and desire within our own hearts to immolate the faith and the trust that is found here. This is so because she shows that Heaven is not only for God, but through the sacrifice that was offered by Christ upon the wood of the cross, is also obtainable for each of us. With great faith and great trust placed in God may we therefore not fear to obtain such a wondrous gift.

For some reason we do fear to pursue such a wondrous gift. We fear the fact that desiring to obtain Heaven here and now will cause us to change the very way that we are able to live out our life. Indeed it is never easy for us to pursue change. Whenever we have change thrown upon us we usually meet it with great resentment, but if we persevere for only a little while that change soon becomes second nature. Religion is about so much more then claiming that we are "religious," but instead religion challenges us to grow in our faith, in our trust, and to daily embrace conversion. The "religious person" concept does nothing, but shows a vague belief in God that has yet to become founded in true belief. The next step for the "religious person" is to embrace the pains that are required by having authentic faith and trust because this will require us to change some facet of our life. Mary shows that such an authentic trust and belief in God is indeed most valuable and displays the great fact that such trust and belief should not be feared.

We should not fear Heaven because only here will we come to obtain true peace and belonging from a world that has been touched by death and by sin. In Heaven we are not pointing to a place like a star in the sky that can easily be pointed out, but instead we are speaking about something that is so much greater. Heaven is a difficult term for our mind to grasp because each of us are only able to explain it through our limited human knowledge. Benedict XVI states concerning Heaven: "It is his Love that triumphs over death and gives us eternity and it is this love that we call "Heaven": God is so great that he also makes room for us. And Jesus the man, who at the same time is God, is the guarantee for us that the being-man and the being-God can exist and live, the one within the other, for eternity." With this is mind we are able to see that Heaven is our unending existence with God who created us out of love and desires for to continue to share within that love forever.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is about that sharing within this love for all eternity. Mary, as we know, was conceived without sin in order that she could be the God-bearer who would bring Jesus into this world through her womb. Mary at the Annunciation showed her great faith and her great sense of humility by giving her unending "yes" to God. She lived her life in great obedience and great trust placed in God's law and from this reality she was never stained by the stain of sin. Mary is fully human alone like each of us who are gathered here this day, and yet her love for God was so great that she never fell into sin. She shows to us in her Assumption that God's love is indeed so powerful that it is obtainable for each of us. She leads us forth by her example that Heaven is about sharing in the love that is found within the Holy Trinity. In this most profound love we see the need for faith and for trust and for conversion because only in this way will we truly come to embrace God who is love.

As Mary journeyed to meet Elizabeth, who was with child, may we to journey towards embracing the love of God no matter what hardship it will cause us to endure within this life. May our Blessed Mother truly show us that this path is attainable and that through embracing it we will indeed be embracing love itself. The pains that exist due to embracing true faith, true trust, and true conversion are all so important for us if we are serious about the reality of Heaven. Our Blessed Mother's love was so great because she always allowed herself to be found faithful upon the path leading towards Heaven instead of the path that leads away from it. In her Assumption she shows that we are each called to enter into the love that is found in Heaven. This day Mary shows the great joy for each of us that death can indeed be conquered if we truly desire to have faith, to have trust, and to desire conversion from our sinfulness. Indeed may we cry out to the Blessed Mother, with great faith and trust, to intercede on our behalf that we may come to hear the word of God and in return observe it by our life.