Generous Discipleship!

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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

The feast of the Assumption celebrates Mary being taken into heaven, body and soul. 

Pope Pius XII who proclaimed the Dogma of Mary’s Assumption of body and soul into heaven, wrote, ‘That the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.’ 

When we think of the feast, we cannot help but ask, how was Mary given such extraordinary honor? What did she do to deserve this? How can we understand Mary’s glory through her life?

We celebrate Mary’s generous discipleship because she taught us how to walk the extra mile. 

Her life is an unmistakable example of her generous response to God’s will. 

1.The Handmaid: Mary said ‘yes’ to God’s will. Moreover, she declared herself a handmaid of God. Saying ‘yes’ is different from mortgaging one’s life. When Mary consented to God’s will, she pledged her life to God. This is Mary’s generosity at the Annunciation.

2. The Helper: After the Annunciation, Mary visited Elizabeth. But that is not all. Mary stayed with her cousin Elizabeth for three months to help her. Elizabeth’s need turns Mary into a helper. Her status as the ‘Mother of God’ does not stop her from becoming a servant of love. 

3. The Intervener: At Cana, Mary not only pitied the condition of the hosts but also intervened on their behalf to his son. Finding someone in need, Mary goes to the extent of even displeasing her own son. Mary, who is compelled by someone’s need, compels her son to help them. 

4. The Sufferer: Mary not just participated in the life of Jesus but also suffered his passion vicariously. Her yes to God was not mere verbal assurance. It meant sharing the painful and rejected life of her son. Hence, at the cross, along with her son’s death, a part of Mary died too. 

5. The Companion: At the cross, Mary became the mother of John. However, her motherhood was also extended to the community of apostles. She accompanied the dejected apostles and led them in prayer. Her mentoring helped the Church, especially at her very beginnings. 

As her life reveals, we find Mary quite generous; but her generosity surpassed expectations. 

Her life is a bold declaration that, for God, Mary was ever willing to walk the extra mile. 

As a maximalist, Mary committed herself to more than was expected of her. 

Hence, Mary’s generous discipleship is rewarded with God’s generous glory. 

Let us pray that the generous discipleship that defined Mary’s life becomes ours too. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar