Thursday 15 August | The Assumption of Our Lady

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Today is Thursday the 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of our Lady.

The monks of the Abbey of Keur Moussa sing a litany to Mary, the Mother of God.  O Mary, you have opened for us the gateway of paradise.  O Mary, queen of glory, who share the joy of the angels.

Today’s reading is from the Letter to the Corinthians.

The feast of the Assumption invites us to think about the effects of the resurrection on our life.  Mary is an archetype for every disciple – she experiences the power of the risen Jesus in a way that we will all share.  Thinking over some of the stories about Mary in the Bible, can you see Mary as the model disciple?

Jesus’ death was as real as ours will be real, but we can trust that we will share in his resurrection just as surely.  He comes to bring us life in all its fullness.  Speak to Jesus now about how this feels.

The resurrection isn’t just an historical event and our liberation from death isn’t just something on a distant future horizon.  The risen life of Jesus is on offer to us here and now.  Do you experience any signs of resurrection in your life, in the world around you?

As you hear this reading again, how does it make you feel about the reality of death and the promise of eternal life?  What, for you, would life lived to the full look like?

‘All will be made alive in Christ’ – how do you feel like responding to those words?  As you speak to Jesus, or perhaps to Mary, is there a desire in you for something to come alive, or for something to die?  What grace do you want to ask for right now?