Gospel Thought for Today
16th August Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for the Brothers of St John of God.
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel shows Mary singing praise to God for looking with favour on her, “His lowly servant”. Mary’s Magnificat proclaims examples of God at work: the proud are put to shame, the mighty ones are humiliated, the lowly are lifted up, the hungry are fed, and the rich are empty-handed. Was Mary just daydreaming? Not at all. Full of faith, she believed that the Lord “has remembered his promise of mercy…he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever”.
In the past few days, the Gospels tell us Jesus standing up for the nobodies. Jesus’ Good News is revolutionary, something that made the powers-that-be uneasy. Mary represents the nobodies of her time – the poor, children, women, strangers, etc. In her Magnificat, she is already announcing what the Kingdom of God would look like. Her assumption to heaven, which we commemorate today, is a glory that will also be ours, if we follow her example.
- What steps could you take to be one with the nobodies in society?
- In your own small way, how do you advance God’s kingdom on earth?
- How is your devotion to Our Lady, especially during this pandemic?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the example and prayers of Our Lady, help me work for the things of heaven where I would one day sing Your praises forever. Amen.
Fraternally,
Pietro
