Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” July-August 2021
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (s)
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VIGIL MASS
FIRST READING
From the First Book of Chronicles (1 Chr 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2)
In those days, David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites. The sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord. David told the leaders of the Levites to have their brothers, the singers with musical instruments, harps, lyres and cymbals, ready, so that by raising their voices they might make joyful sounds heard. They brought in the ark of God and placed it in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; they offered burnt offerings and communion sacrifices before God. When he had finished offering the burnt offerings and communion sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord. The word of the Lord.
SECOND READING
From the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:54b-57)
Brothers and sisters, when this mortal body has clothed itself with immortality, then the word of Scripture will be fulfilled: «Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?». The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! The word of the Lord.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:27-28)
At that time, while Jesus was speaking to the crowds, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him: «Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts that nursed you!». But he said: «Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it!». The Gospel of the Lord.
MASS OF THE DAY
FIRST READING
From the Book of Revelation of Saint John the Apostle (Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab)
God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and cried out in labor and in the pangs of childbirth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads seven diadems; its tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them down to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod, and her child was caught up to God and to his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert, where God had prepared a refuge for her. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: «Now have come salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ». The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the First Reading
The Book of Revelation of Saint John presents us with two signs: the first is a pregnant woman in labor, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of stars. The second is a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns that sweeps the stars away with its tail and hurls them to the earth. The depiction of the sun, moon and stars, together with the pains of childbirth, leads us to contemplate the beauty of God, a beautiful vision of creation and the created world, of wonder, amazement, eternity and hope, which must always contend with the dragon, that is, Satan, adversity, hostility, trials and the ambiguities of the world. These two images highlight the opposition between good and evil; we experience this struggle every day in our lives, but once again God reminds us of his covenant and sends us a message of hope with a powerful voice; he gives us the Son, he prepares for us a refuge of salvation, a kingdom, the power of his Christ, in which evil is not allowed to prevail over good.
SECOND READING
From the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:20-27a)
Brothers and sisters, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead has come also through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life. But each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has placed all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for he has subjected everything under his feet. The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Second Reading
Today we celebrate Mary’s assumption into heaven in body and soul, and Saint Paul speaks to us of the resurrection of Christ, the first to rise from the dead. This is a fundamental passage in the life of a Christian: if we embrace the mystery of the resurrection, our life truly opens to the joy of salvation. If we live our lives bound to the idea of death as the ultimate end of our plans, relationships and affections, we give up the opportunity to savor hope, to make our lives better, to be free and trusting, with the strength that enables us to overcome our anxieties. By defeating the fear of death, humanity’s great and true fear, we open ourselves fully to faith in the eternal life promised by Jesus. Without this, what meaning does our life have today? Saint Paul reaffirms that all God’s enemies will be subjected to Christ: the last will be death, because at his coming he will call all his faithful from their tombs. And there will be complete joy filled with love, communion and salvation.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:39-56)
In those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: «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 as soon as 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». Then Mary said: «My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and 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; his mercy is from generation to generation for those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has thrown down the rulers from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever». Mary remained with her about three months, then returned to her home. The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the Day
A pregnant woman, when she feels her baby moving in her womb, experiences indescribable joy: a miracle is taking place within her; a human being takes shape, grows and develops, and if the mother believed herself to be barren, this joy is raised to the highest power. Surely the babies growing in the womb also perceive their mothers’ great happiness and express their joy by leaping. In Elizabeth, the leap gives rise to the words from which we took the prayer of the Hail Mary. The Holy Spirit, in addition to allowing Mary to experience the grace of motherhood, inspires her to conceive the prayer of the Magnificat, the most beautiful song and hymn of praise recited every day in the celebration of Vespers. If we make this prayer our own, we Christians truly manage to express in words the indescribable joy of having God with us, that leap of the soul when we realize that we are looked upon in our humility, that we feel touched by him, that we have received the gift of mercy for those who fear him. His justice will be exercised through the power of his arm, which fills and raises up the lowly and scatters, casts down and sends the rich away empty-handed. Do we know how to live this miracle in our lives?
