August 15th was truly a great
day indeed. Gathering in Christian
Fellowship to celebrate such a glorious solemnity dedicated to Mary the Mother
of God who ascended into heaven body and soul to join her beloved son Our Lord
Jesus Christ is reason enough to be elated. This is a dogma of our faith;
something that we must believe in and profess in our daily lives. The Holy
Family Serves as an example as to how we should conduct ourselves in our own
families and relationships while Mary herself is an example of how we should
love one another with the same love she had for her son Jesus Christ. Mary’s
love for her son is perfect in nature. It unites the divine to the human and
the human to the divine. We are encouraged to meditate on the relationship
between Mary and Jesus; contemplating on how we should approach our own
relationships with family, friends, and even those who we meet casually as we
go about our daily activities.
The foundation of our faith is love and
the love that God has for us as his children. Without love we have no faith and
with no faith it is impossible to believe in or walk with god. Mary is our
greatest intercessor and the greatest expression of Jesus’ love for us. She
continues up until this present day to appear to us; bringing messages of love,
prayer, and an urgent appeal for all of us to come back to the faith. She
constantly speaks of Jesus’ love for us and his plans for the salvation of the
world.
Reflect on what
the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary when he first appeared to her:
“HAIL, FAVORED ONE, THE LORD IS WITH THEE….”
An archangel,
the Messenger of God, addressing a woman such as Mary in that manner? The word
“HAIL” itself commands a large amount of respect, honor, and dignity that the
one saying the words is giving to the receiver. The individual saying the word
is indicating that he or she is sub-servant to the person they are speaking to.
In other words, Gabriel has indicated that he is below Mary in stature, rank,
honor, greatness, and holiness. Saying that she is with god and favored also
shows that Mary is in a perpetual State of Grace because she is already in
possession of it and that she is also walking with God as mentioned by the
angel. This wasn’t something that was earned. It was given freely by God to
Mary and now she would maintain this State of Grace because she will be with
the Christ from that point forward through his death and resurrection. Soon
afterwards, she would join him once again.
When Mary visits
her cousin Elizabeth, the Gospel of Luke tells us that Elizabeth was “filled
with the Holy Spirit” and began to speak. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and
being compelled to speak indicates that it is God talking and not the person.
So god spoke through Elizabeth:
“BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN…”
God just
elevated Mary above all women on the Earth. Elizabeth goes on further to call
Mary,
“THE MOTHER OF MY LORD”
God himself,
through Elizabeth, just called Mary the mother of God.
Mary the
proclaims in a State of Grace and walking with God that all generations will
call her blessed.
These are things
that we must reflect on and contemplate. By the command of God and the angels
we have been told to elevated Mary to a position of reverence, stature, and
authority within our faith lives.
Ask Mary to
intercede for us and have her Beloved Son enter our body, hearts, minds, and
souls for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world.
Deacon Tom
