The Assumption of Our Lady

Intro: we celebrate today that Our Lady has been assumed, body and soul, into heavenly glory. We pray that one day we too shall enjoy the fullness of life which she already enjoys with her divine Son and the angels and saints in Heaven.
Readings: the Apocalypse gives us the sign of the heavenly woman who gives birth to the glorious Messiah, and then escapes from the murderous plans of the satanic red dragon.

St. Paul describes to the Corinthians how the saving effects of Christ's resurrection will gradually spread through the whole of God's creation

Apocalypse 11:19; 12: 1-6, 10;
1 Corinthians 15: 20-26;
Luke 1: 39-56

Today the Church celebrates a great feast which reaffirms the good news of Christ's resurrection, which is at the very centre of our faith. The Assumption of Our Blessed Lady into Heaven proclaims that Mary shared fully in the victory of her Son over death, and that her body never knew decay but was "assumed" - taken up body and soul into heavenly glory. This was something which Christians had believed for many centuries, but it was only in 1950 that this doctrine was formally defined as an article of faith - something which all Catholics now had to believe, rather than accept or deny. Our constant struggle between good and evil, our wrong choices, sins and even death, are·a consequence of what the Church calls original sin, which Paul explains to the Corinthians - "I cannot understand my own behaviour. I fail to carry out the things I want to do, and I find myself doing the very things I hate." The basis for the declaration was the fact that, because Mary was conceived immaculate - without even the stain of Original Sin on her soul - there was no reason for her immaculate body to undergo decay or death, which are all consequences of original sin.

For us, we can see some implications of Our Lady's assumption today: when human lives are disregarded or despised, we are challenged to see that each person - body and soul - is valued by God. When we see God's material creation abused and exploited - global warming, the rain forests, the plastic waste in our oceans - we are called to witness to God's concern for our planet. And in the face of the denial and fear of death, we are given faith and con­ fidence by the promise that we too are destined to share in the glory of God, which Mary already enjoys through her assumption.

Intercessions
God asks us to come to Him with all our needs. Like the woman in the Gospel, He calls us to make an act of faith and trust in Him as place our petitions before Him:-

1.       For the Church. May it always be seen as a place of welcome for people of all faiths, and following Jesus' example, may we ourselves be open to loving all peoples, regardless of race, colour, orientation or faith - Lord, hear us.

2.       For all the nations of our one world. Help our governments to honour, respect and deal with them in a just and peaceful way. May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede with her Son to grant peace in Ukraine and other parts of our broken world - Lord, hear us.

3.        Father, Your Son Jesus gave His mother to the Church as a perfect example of faith. May we accept Your word in faith, as she did - Lord, hear us.

4.       Mary listened to Your voice, and brought Your Word into our world. By answering Your call, may we too bring Your Son to all whom we meet - Lord, hear us.

5.        You strengthened Mary to stand at the foot of the cross, and filled her with joy at the resurrection, By her intercessioin, lighten our sorrow and reinforce our hope - Lord, hear us.

6.       For parents and teachers as they begin a new term. May they teach their young people tolerance and respect for others. May they come before You with the same confidence and faith as that of Mary

- Lord, hear us.

7.      In the hope of the resurrection to new life with Your Son, let us pray for John McCranor & Margaret Fraser who have died ecently; and for Neil English & Bob Davie whose anniversaries occur about this time - Lord, hear us.