Feast of the Day: August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a Holy Day of Obligation. It is an ancient feast of the Church, celebrated universally by at least the 6th century. According to tradition, all of the Apostles were present when Our Lady came to the end of her earthly life and peacefully went to be with Christ in Heaven, an event also known as the "Dormition of Mary." The tomb where her body was laid was found empty, her body being taken up into heaven a short time after she passed into eternal life. The Church's historic belief that the Virgin Mary is presently in heaven reigning as the Queen of Heaven and Earth, in body and soul, next to her Divine Son, was pronounced as infallible dogma in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The bodily Assumption of Jesus' mother into heaven is a foretaste of our own bodily resurrection at the end of time. † Quote of the Day "Love Mary! She is loveable, faithful, constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a heart that wants to love her." — St. Gabriel Possenti Today's Meditation "Let us say boldly with St. Bernard that we have need of a mediator with the Mediator Himself, and that it is the divine Mary who is the most capable of filling that charitable office. It was through her that Jesus Christ came to us, and it is through her that we must go to Him. If we fear to go directly to Jesus Christ, our God, whether because of His infinite greatness or because of our vileness or because of our sins, let us boldly implore the aid and intercession of Mary, our Mother. She is good, she is tender, she has nothing in her austere and forbidding, nothing too sublime and too brilliant. In seeing her, we see our pure nature." —St. Louis de Montfort, p. 42 Daily Verse "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us." — Romans 5:1-5 | St. Tarcisius (3rd c.) was a boy who lived during the persecution of Roman Emperor Valerian. When the Christians would secretly celebrate daily Mass in the catacombs, a deacon would be sent to carry the Holy Eucharist to the Christians waiting in prison to be executed. At one point there was no deacon to send, and so St. Tarcisius, a twelve-year-old acolyte, was sent to carry the "Holy Mysteries" to the prisoners. One day, on his way, he was stopped by pagan boys his own age with whom he would sometimes play games. They asked him to play, but Tarcisius declined because of the holy mission on which he had been sent. The crowd of boys became curious about what he was carrying, and soon discovered that he was a Christian. In their profane desire to see the holy secret he so carefully guarded, they descended on him as a mob and beat him. Tarcisius was courageous and refused to surrender the Blessed Sacrament. A fellow Christian came to his rescue and carried his bloodied body back to the catacombs. Tarcisius died from his injuries along the way. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus, and his relics are kept in the church of San Silvestro. Legend has it that the consecrated Host disappeared during the attack. St. Tarcisius is the patron of altar boys and first communicants. His feast day is August 15th. | Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mass during the Day Lectionary: 622
Reading 1 Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB God's temple in heaven 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,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16 R. (10bc) The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir. R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father's house. R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord. R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king. R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold. Reading II 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for "he subjected everything under his feet." Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Mary is taken up to heaven;
a chorus of angels exults.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 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. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 1:39-56 Blessed are you who believed. (Luke 1:45) Today we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But what made Mary blessed? Was it just that she was conceived without original sin? No, there's more to Mary's blessedness than the way she was born! Elizabeth's words in today's Gospel point us to the answer: "Blessed are you who believed" (Luke 1:45, emphasis added)! Mary trusted that the God who had been faithful to his promises to Abraham, Moses, and David would be faithful to his promises to her. Then, as Jesus began preaching, she heard even more promises: rest for the weary (Matthew 11:28); a full life for those who come to him (John 10:10); spiritual power for those who wait on him (Acts 1:8). Mary believed in these promises, too, and that faith opened the floodgates of blessing to her—blessings that surely supported her as she watched her son endure a prolonged, harrowing death on a cross. Finally, all those promises found their ultimate fulfillment in her Assumption into the glory of heaven! We might think that now that she is in heaven, Mary is simply enjoying all the blessings God intended for her. But that is far from the truth! Enthroned as Mother of the Church and Mother to all who believe, Mary is constantly interceding for all of us, her children. She is praying that we will place our faith in the same promises she believed. She is praying that we will remember the faithfulness of God so that we will never feel lost or abandoned by him. She is praying that we will look to her and know that we can all share in the same glory as we learn to believe as she did. Today, imagine Mary standing before you, gently urging you to hold fast to God's promises. She is telling you that Jesus is worth believing, that he is steadfast in his love for you, and that he longs to bring you into his heavenly glory. Listen as she exclaims, "Blessed are you who believe!" "Holy Mary, Mother of God, help me to believe ever more deeply in your Son!" Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10
Psalm 45:10-12, 16
1 Corinthians 15:20-27 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "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." ..." Word of the Lord. | Roberto Juarez ended his reflection with: "The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary shows us the path of faith, humility, service and justice of God. This is the path of true greatness: dedication to God, willingness to serve others, and trust in God's saving action. Let us rejoice today in God's presence and commit ourselves to his work of justice in the world." end quote.
We heard today: "Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah...". Haste! Haste! Yes, we celebrate a feast today, the assumption, but what is that about? A deliverance. Mother Mary closes her eyes in death, and her body is assumed into Heaven.
Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, through her visions, described the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, detailing her bodily ascension into heaven. She saw Mary's soul, accompanied by angels and Jesus, ascend from her tomb, while the Apostles and other holy women witnessed the event with awe and reverence. Emmerich's visions also included the location of Mary's house in Ephesus, which was later identified and venerated.
When Mother Mary delivered the message to Saint Elizabeth, a fire started with Mother's Sacred Heart fire. When she delivered her baby, Mother Mary delivered The Light to the world, the Light we still very much need today. And that light is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mother Mary ushered in the Body of Christ, in her body. He ushered us the resurrection of the body, and the promised resurrection.
Therefore, Mother Mary is among the first in Heaven. First in many ways. First in the humans. First in our faith. First in the Way...to God.
She made haste, she was evangelizing.
She made haste, she was fulfilling the covenant.
She made haste, and she intercedes. She is forever going to be called Blessed, both on earth, but eternally in Heaven.
Today, with her phenomenal body and soul in Heaven, she still makes haste.
She makes haste with our prayers.
She makes haste to help us build God's Kingdom.
She makes haste to help her suffering baby, the one she loves so dearly, the body of Christ.
Oh how she loves Him. She CAN NOT turn her eyes from Him. She is not like an earthly momma. She is conceived pure...purely for Him. She is now in the eternal realms, the most beautiful perfect mother.
All visionaries of the Blessed Mother describe her as the most beautiful.
And our Lord gave us His mother. The Most Beautiful.
The assumption is a celebration. And I pray,
Mother Most chaste, please make haste.
Make haste in this fast paced world, to give us grace.
That we may spread the message of God's unending mercy and love, to convert hardened sinners, to the life of Christ....with Your Sacred Heart burning with eternal love for God our Father...forever. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:11–12 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
