DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
Mary has been taken up to heaven;
all the choirs of angels are rejoicing.
APOCALYPSE 11:19,12:1-6,10
My Soul's Beloved,
The more we honor Mary and sing her praises the more we glorify God for You O Lord have outdone Yourself in creating her, the Mother of God, Theotokos, the God-bearer. In her is the fullness of grace and she is resplendent with every virtue. She is purity incarnate for the Holy Spirit, her spouse, has made her a fit dwelling place for the Son of God. She is the New Ark of the Covenant who carried in her womb the Word made Flesh who dwelt among us. She conceived You in her body freed from original sin by Your merits on Calvary before the fact. She is a creature like the rest of the human race but far, far above us all who have been tainted by concupiscence.
Chosen by God to be the Mother of God she was fashioned by Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit and there never was nor will there ever be a creature as perfect as her. It is right and it is fitting that Mary, whose entire life was a fiat to God's will, should be sinless and at the end of her earthly journey to be taken body and soul into heaven. There to be crowned as the Queen Mother in time and in eternity.
The sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown.
PSALM 44(45):10-12,16
On your right stands the queen, in garments of gold.
The daughters of kings are among your loved ones.
On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words:
forget your own people and your father’s house.
So will the king desire your beauty:
He is your lord, pay homage to him.
They are escorted amid gladness and joy;
they pass within the palace of the king.
On your right stands the queen, in garments of gold.
My Soul's Beloved,
Your glorious resurrection into heaven is a foretaste of what all the redeemed will enjoy at the end of time. God raised You up and has given You a Name that is above every other and He has put all things at Your feet. You always do the will of Your Father and You are the Yes and the Amen of God. We, the children of Adam and Eve born with original sin can only become children of God through the cleansing and healing waters of baptism. The baptized and most especially those who are members of Your Body in the Church You founded receive torrents of grace through the Sacraments You instituted and which the Church administers to all her children.
More often than not, Beloved, we not only take the graces for granted but we do not allow grace to guide and direct our thoughts, words, and deeds. Mary did. She who was full of grace lived her whole life in perfect submission to the will of God. It is right and fitting that she who walked the Way of Calvary and in a mysterious way was pierced by the sword that was driven through Your sacred side, as she participated in Your suffering should not experience corruption in her sinless flesh.
Your victory is her victory. Your triumph is her triumph. You share all with Your Mother and You together with the Father and her glorious Spouse, the Holy Spirit have raised her up and have crowned her Queen of Heaven. For the Lord was with her always and where her Lord is there will she always be.
LUKE 1:39-56
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
The hall of saints in the Catholic Church is impressive. There are remarkable men, women, and even young people who have lived lives of heroic virtue and they strove to imitate the Master closely. Their lives reveal to us sinful creatures what is possible if we are willing to crucify our will and embrace the will of God in all things. To crucify the flesh and to empty ourselves in love for God and for His sake to empty ourselves in service to our neighbor. But not one of these saints comes close to Mary, the Virgin Mother of God.
Mary's gaze was always fixed on God. To do the will of God was her food and drink. Nothing mattered to her and even though she did not fully understand what saying yes would entail, yet she said yes anyway trusting God completely.
From the moment of the Annunciation, when she conceived You through her espousal to the Holy Spirit, He took complete charge of her life. She was His to do with as He pleased. Inspired by the Holy Spirit she immediately set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth. God knew what a comfort it would be to both women to be in each other's company. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit recognized what God had done for her young cousin and when she saw her greeted her with a loud cry,
‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
Mary's response is the most beautiful hymn of praise ever sung to God, the Magnificat, is a revelation of who Mary is. She is the first daughter of the Father, she is the Mother of the Redeemer, she is the spouse of the Holy Spirit and every word of her hymn of praise is God-breathed.
And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
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