A homily by Fr. Luis Lorenzo LC on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
(August 15, 2021, Sunday)

Today is a day of great joy! The Solemnity of the Assumption meets us in our tiredness, our sickness, our sinfulness, and our helplessness, and greets us with joy. Because today, we celebrate the arrival of Mama Mary to Paradise. If it can help you feel this joy, try imagining that definitive moment when there can no longer be any doubt whatsoever, that your mom, your dad, your lolo, your lola, or any dearly departed, has finally made it to Heaven. No more worries, no more death anniversaries. Only one hope… only this joy, which consoles the heart and wipes away the tears, “Papa has made it! Mama has made it!”

What then can this feast day mean for us who remain on earth? Allow me to offer three possible reflections:

The first is about EMPATHY. 

Our Lady’s life was never an easy one. She grew up poor in Nazareth. She got pregnant at fourteen with unexplainable circumstances. She gave birth in a stable, and soon after, fled to Egypt to save the life of her family. She lost her husband while still a young mother. And finally, she witnessed her only Son condemned, tortured, and crucified.

If there is someone in Heaven who can possibly understand and share in the sorrow of many kinds of suffering, and one who is not God, there is she, whom God also gave to us as our mother in her most difficult and darkest hours on Calvary. She doesn’t help us from above the clouds or upon a pedestal, but from a very similar position to that of ours.

The second is about INSPIRATION.

From the moment God introduced His plan to her, even if it seemed hard to swallow, her response was always consistent, “Yes! Fiat! Let it be done to me according to your word.” It’s not an easy prayer. It’s a hard prayer because the plans of God always go beyond our comfort zones. But if humbly prayed, no matter how small one’s faith, it becomes a powerful source of light and strength. It becomes the way to true and final victory over sin, suffering, and even death.

Today, we celebrate this victory in the life of Mary, not because of how perfect she was, but because of how she held onto the goodness of God. She inspires us with the assurance that if we trust God, we too will triumph. We too will one day remove every form of mask without fear, and once again, breathe, hug, laugh, love and be loved forever.
 

A third and final reflection is about CARE. 

Our Lady stands at the right hand of God, “arrayed in gold”. Close to Him. Whispering to Him on behalf of her many children. Yet, our Gospel reminds us that she isn’t only the humble servant of God, but also that of her family. She rushes to care for her cousin Elizabeth wholeheartedly, so much so that the baby in her womb leaps for joy! 

This is Mama Mary, someone so beautiful because of how empathic she is, how inspiring she is, and how caring she is! Especially today, in these most difficult times, she rushes down from Heaven to help us carry our crosses. To help us trust in God and follow His commandments. She helps us so that we too can learn to rise from our sorrows, and come closer, one day at a time, to that joy which knows no end.

Dearest friends, today is a day of great joy! “Mama has made it!” Not only to the home of her Son Jesus, but hopefully as well, to the home of your heart and mine. Amen.