The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady [I Am Spiritual]
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lk 1: 39-56
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful 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 his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Restoration “Heartwear”
The mother church of the Society of Jesus, the Church of the Gesu in Rome, contains a painting of special note for the Jesuits. The Madonna del Strada (Our Lady of the Way), was the center of St. Ignatius's devotion to Mary and became the patroness of the Jesuits.
In 2006 this nearly five hundred year old painting was painstakingly restored. When centuries of accumulated grime were removed, botched restorations repaired, and the original painting uncovered, bright colors and details emerged that hadn’t been seen in centuries.
Today’s Gospel offers the perfect image for us to pray, as St. Ignatius did, to the Virgin Mary. Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth causes her baby, John the Baptist, to leap for joy in her womb. We pray for the restoration of our heart – our love – for Christ. We pray that the accumulated years of heeding our desires, instead of God’s wishes, be removed. In its place, we pray to be filled with the beautiful colors of the Master who paints our lives with the bright colors of love and forgiveness and joy in helping others. Let us wear God in our heart.
—Curt Robey is awaiting ordination into the Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Chicago this autumn. Curt & his wife Sally live in Wilmette, IL and are the parents of four children who attended Loyola Academy & Saint Ignatius College Prep.
Prayer
Lord, holy Father,
you revealed to us the way, the truth, and the life
in your beloved Son.
Grant that by faithfully following his example and teaching,
and through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may be led in safety to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
—Collect Prayer from Mass of Our Lady of the Way
Lk 1: 39-56
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful 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 his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Restoration “Heartwear”
The mother church of the Society of Jesus, the Church of the Gesu in Rome, contains a painting of special note for the Jesuits. The Madonna del Strada (Our Lady of the Way), was the center of St. Ignatius's devotion to Mary and became the patroness of the Jesuits.
In 2006 this nearly five hundred year old painting was painstakingly restored. When centuries of accumulated grime were removed, botched restorations repaired, and the original painting uncovered, bright colors and details emerged that hadn’t been seen in centuries.
Today’s Gospel offers the perfect image for us to pray, as St. Ignatius did, to the Virgin Mary. Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth causes her baby, John the Baptist, to leap for joy in her womb. We pray for the restoration of our heart – our love – for Christ. We pray that the accumulated years of heeding our desires, instead of God’s wishes, be removed. In its place, we pray to be filled with the beautiful colors of the Master who paints our lives with the bright colors of love and forgiveness and joy in helping others. Let us wear God in our heart.
—Curt Robey is awaiting ordination into the Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Chicago this autumn. Curt & his wife Sally live in Wilmette, IL and are the parents of four children who attended Loyola Academy & Saint Ignatius College Prep.
Prayer
Lord, holy Father,
you revealed to us the way, the truth, and the life
in your beloved Son.
Grant that by faithfully following his example and teaching,
and through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may be led in safety to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
—Collect Prayer from Mass of Our Lady of the Way
