The Unforgotten YES of Mary!

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rev 11: 19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; 1 Cor 15: 20-27; Lk 1: 39-56

The Feast of the Assumption teaches the profound truth that what is done in love is never forgotten by God.

Mary’s life reveals two important dimensions. On the one hand, she demonstrates throughout her life what it means to be faithful to God. On the other, she also becomes a model of what God can accomplish through our lives when we follow God’s path. Accordingly, we may look at the glory of Mary’s Assumption from three angles. 

1. God does not forget our faithfulness. The greatness of Mary begins with a simple ‘yes’ to God’s will. When Mary said ‘yes,’ she had the courage to stand by the Lord through thick and thin. She had to continue to live her ‘yes’ through every stage of her life’s journey: giving birth to Jesus, flight to Egypt, her son’s rejection, the pain of standing under the cross, etc. However, Mary trusted God’s guidance firmly through all these, and this is what God rewards. The Divine heart never forgets a faithful heart, and that is how Mary is accorded the incomparable glory of the Assumption. Mary wants us to understand that what we do for God is never wasted or forgotten. The faithful God rewards our faithfulness too. 

2. Life is what we let God do with our lives. Mary’s greatness reveals quite another side. As we may often imagine, it is not what we do with our lives that often makes us great, but what we let God achieve through our lives. Mary’s surrender to God was such that she allowed God to make her life great. In many ways, the same attitude is what we witness in Abraham too. Abraham trusted God enough to desert his plans and instead follow God’s plan. Likewise, Mary allowed God to have His way so that it was God who chose her womb, vocation, and mission. It is like Mary was fond of asking, ‘Lord, what do you want to make of my life?’ Mary teaches us that, leaving aside the master plan we have for ourselves, we must follow the Master’s plan willingly and faithfully. 

3. Mary never took credit for what God had done. Yet another virtue that Mary excelled in was her humility. Starting with her ‘yes,’ Mary walked beside the Lord faithfully. Her fidelity to God’s plan was so unwavering that her whole life became a symbol of faithfulness. However, she remembered to praise God in the Magnificat singing, ‘The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name’ (Lk 1:49). Though Mary had every reason to remember her sacrifices and faithfulness, she was happy and content to turn all glory to God. Her attitude of radical humility pleases God, who raises her to glory. We must note that Mary’s life offers us the hope that whatever God has done for Mary, God will do for us too when we can glorify God through our lives, just as Mary did. 

The glory of Mary’s assumption leaves behind powerful insights for reflection and action. 

1. Both the human person and the human body are sacred. Just as Mary was taken up body and soul, we are all destined for future glory. We are sanctified through a faithful life to God. 

2. If Our Lady’s Assumption is her homecoming, it reminds us of Jesus’ promise: ‘I go to prepare a place for you’ (Jn 14:2). Christians are travelers who pass through this world to reach our heavenly homeland. 

3. Mary teaches us that it is God who is the author of our lives. If we have the humility to allow God to write our story, it will have greater meaning and purpose. When we live our lives from God’s perspective, our ordinary existence will be transformed into eternal glory. 

Let us pray that, following Mary’s example, we may live and act in love for God. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar