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Speak Lord for your Servant is Listening
Book Recommendation of the Day
Mary's Bodily Assumption
By Matthew Levering
This is a rigorous and well-structured theological defense of the dogma. Levering explores the historical unfolding of Marian doctrine, the Church’s authority in defining dogma, and the fittingness of Mary’s Assumption in salvation history. It’s ideal for those seeking depth and clarity rooted in Tradition.
Crown of Glory: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 2025 (1st Class Feast, Holy Day of Obligation)
Liturgical Context: 9th Sunday after Pentecost (Readings proper to the feast)
Opening Greeting
Welcome, dear friends in Christ, to today’s reflection on this glorious feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother. This is not merely a day of Marian devotion it is a proclamation of hope, a celebration of the victory of Christ’s redemption, and a foretaste of our own destiny if we remain faithful.

My dear friends, today Holy Mother Church invites us to gaze toward Heaven and rejoice in one of the most glorious mysteries of our Catholic faith the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, taken body and soul into eternal glory. It is a feast clothed in light, a day when the Church triumphantly proclaims that death has no power over the Immaculate Mother of God.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, with his unmatched gift for making heavenly truths touch the heart, once reminded us that Mary’s Assumption is not merely a singular privilege reserved for her alone, but a divine promise extended to every soul that perseveres in grace. In her glorification, we see the perfection of God’s plan for humanity a plan begun in Eden, wounded by sin, restored by the Cross, and brought to radiant fulfillment in Mary. She stands before us as the image of what humanity was meant to be: pure, uncorrupted, and wholly embraced by the love of God for all eternity.
Bishop Sheen would often reflect on the fittingness of this mystery. God, who chose Mary from all eternity to be the Ark of the New Covenant, could not allow that sacred Ark to suffer the decay of the tomb. She was the living tabernacle who bore within her womb the Word made Flesh, the true Bread of Life come down from Heaven. Just as the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament was shielded from defilement and surrounded by reverence, so too Mary’s body the very vessel of the Incarnation was preserved from corruption, glorified, and assumed into the courts of Heaven.
This feast is not simply a commemoration of something past; it is a vision of our future. The Assumption is a window through which we glimpse our own destiny if we, like Mary, live in humble submission to God’s will. It is as if Heaven itself leans down today to whisper into our souls: ‘This is what awaits those who love Me.’ As Sheen so beautifully expressed it: “If we live as she lived, we will die as she died, and we will rise as she rose.”
And so, on this radiant feast, let us lift our eyes to our Mother and our Queen, who reigns beside her Son. She is not far from us; she intercedes for us, guides us, and prepares us for that great and final moment when we too shall be caught up in the glory of Christ. As we reflect on today’s readings and contemplate the Assumption, may our hearts be inflamed with longing — not for this passing world, but for the eternal kingdom where Mary has gone before us as our surest hope after Christ."
The Holy Scripture Readings
Epistle – Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 24:11-13, 15-20
In all things I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord. Then the Creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me rested in my tabernacle, and he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect. From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before Him. And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took root in an honorable people, and in the portion of my God His inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints. I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on Mount Sion, I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho: as a fair olive tree in the plains, and was exalted as a plane tree by the water in the streets. I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon, and aromatic balm: I yielded a sweet odor like the best myrrh.
Reflections
On the Epistle
This poetic passage from Ecclesiasticus is applied by the Church to Our Lady. She is the dwelling place of God, chosen from all eternity to bear the Word made flesh. The imagery of the cedar, cypress, palm, and olive reveals her spiritual beauty, strength, and fruitfulness. Her entire life was “rooted in the elect” she was inseparably united with the people of God, yet raised above them as their Queen and Mother. Today’s feast shows her exaltation completed body and soul assumed into Heaven, where she now reigns with her Son.
Gospel – Luke 10:38-42
At that time, Jesus entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who, sitting also at the Lord's feet, heard His word. But Martha was busy about much serving: who stood and said, “Lord, hast Thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? Speak to her therefore, that she help me.” And the Lord answering, said to her: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things: but one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

On the Gospel
The Gospel of Martha and Mary is not randomly chosen for this feast. It shows us the contemplative soul that listens at the feet of Christ. Our Lady was the perfect “Mary” in this sense her whole life was an act of listening to God’s Word and treasuring it in her heart. The Assumption is the reward of a life completely oriented toward “the one thing necessary.” Just as Mary of Bethany chose the better part, so the Blessed Virgin chose God above all else, and now enjoys the fullness of His presence forever.
Historical & Theological Background
Early Christian Witness
From the earliest centuries, Christians celebrated Mary’s “Dormition” or “falling asleep.” The Fathers of the Church taught that it was fitting for the Mother of God immaculately conceived and free from sin not to undergo corruption in the grave.
Scriptural Foreshadowing
• Psalm 131:8 – The Ark of the New Covenant is brought into God’s sanctuary.
• Revelation 12:1 – The woman clothed with the sun, crowned in glory.
• Luke 1:28 – “Full of grace” points toward her complete participation in redemption.
Dogmatic Definition
In 1950, Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the Assumption as a truth revealed by God: “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.”
Meaning for Us
• Sign of Hope: Where she is, we hope to follow.
• Triumph of Christ’s Redemption: Her glorification is the fruit of the Paschal Mystery.
• Call to Holiness: Live as she did, in obedience and faith, so we may share in her crown.
Practical Takeaway
On this feast, the Church reminds us that Heaven is our true homeland. Our Lady’s Assumption is not a distant legend it is a real, historical event and a personal promise for each faithful soul. We must live in a state of grace, strive for purity, and keep our hearts fixed on eternal things.
Conclusionary Prayer
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
O Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed into Heaven, we rejoice in thy glory and seek thy intercession. Thou art our life, our sweetness, and our hope. Obtain for us the grace to imitate thy faith, thy humility, and thy love, so that we may follow thee into the presence of thy Son. Keep us from sin, protect us in trial, and lead us safely to the eternal joys of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.