Nicole Berlucchi, Writer on a Mission

Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission,
and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month.

For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate it and rejoice in what it promises us.

Today, we look at the fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary: the Assumption. Sorry for the delay on this one. I have been pretty busy with beginning my new job, but I will still try to finish the entire series before the month of the Rosary concludes….

“Arise, O Lord, into thy resting place thou and the ark, which thou hast sanctified.” Psalm 131:8 (NABRE)

“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:

               In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death. CCC 966

The word assume has two meanings. One is about “taking something to be true without proof” and the other is “to take on responsibility.” The calling of Mary’s going to heaven body and soul as Assumption has always struck me in regard to the definitions of this word. It is true that Mary’s Assumption is not spelled out in scripture and we know this because the Living Word is Jesus and Mary would never want her Assumption to somehow distract from His glorious Ascension. Instead, we rely on tradition and the Catechism which tells us we hold to the truth that Mary was taken up into heaven body and soul and with that she assumes the responsibility of praying to deliver our souls from death. How does one imitate this mystery?

1. Acknowledge Mary as conceived without sin. This mystery requires imitation of what it is asks of us—to believe in Mary’s sanctity and being “full of grace”–that Jesus brought her to heaven body and soul. Servant of God Fulton Sheen describes in his book, The World’s First Love, how Mary, who prayed so fervently, who was so united to Christ, through divine ecstasy her body and soul immediately flew to heaven to be reunited with her Son. Many great saint were known to levitate during ecstasy in prayer, the idea that the heat from the burning love of God causes the person to rise up; and so we see in the Assumption, Mary, so consumed by the love of God, that her body and soul are taken straight to heaven to be united with Him once again. Imitation of this mystery is the desire to be like Mary, to allow ourselves to be consumed by the Father’s love—less of me, more of Him. Be consumed in order to be assumed by Mary—we want this perfect human to be responsible for us, just as her Son took  responsibility for us and our sins. Mary is proof that someday we will also be able to participate in the resurrection of the body.
2. Remember Mary is your heavenly mother. This mystery is also an acknowledgement of Mary as our mother and of her impeccable example of what it means to know and love God and follow His will.  When we think back to the joyful and sorrowful mysteries, Mary’s holiness, humility, charity and obedience is ever present. We know in heaven she is praying for us to grow in these same gifts of the Holy Spirit. God is showing us when we are totally conformed to His will, the rewards are exponential.
3. Love Mary as Jesus did—you cannot love her more than Jesus. If Jesus loved His mother that he enabled this unique blessing for her, wanting to be with her, close to her, then we too should be equally devoted to inviting her into our daily lives, asking her to stay near to us in our activities and in our prayer, seeking her companionship always so that through her, the Mediatrix of graces, we can receive the graces to merit life with Jesus in eternity.

In acknowledging Mary’s unique role in our Redemption through Christ, remembering to acknowledge her not just as Jesus’ mother but as our own mother given to us by Jesus, and loving her just as He did, we will see our devotion to her grow and we will properly venerate her, praising God along with her. The fruit of this mystery is devotion to Mary. May we grow in devotion to her by meditating upon this mystery and by praying the holy rosary.

Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month.

If you missed the previous weeks’ reflections, catch them here:

The Joyful Mysteries: Annunciation, Visitation, Birth of Jesus, the Presentation, and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

The Sorrowful Mysteries: Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning of Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, Crucifixion.