Homily Reflection for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today, on the Solemnity of the Assumption, the Church lifts her eyes—and our hearts—toward Mary. She’s the one who first cradled the Son of God in her arms, and now, body and soul, she stands in glory before the throne of the Lamb.
We don’t honor Mary instead of Christ.
We honor her because of Christ—because His grace in her is wondrous.
And in her, we glimpse the destiny He desires for each of us.
The Woman Clothed with the Sun
In Revelation, St. John gives us a striking image:
A woman clothed with the sun,
the moon beneath her feet,
a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Some rush past this vision, eager for dragons and battles.
But the Church pauses here—because this woman is no side note.
She’s a sign.
She points us to Mary:
the young girl of Nazareth who said “yes” to God,
who stood firm at the foot of the Cross,
and whose life now shines with the radiance of her risen Son.
From Ark of Stone to Ark of Flesh
The Vigil readings opened this mystery for me in a new way.
Coming from a Baptist background, I knew the Ark of the Covenant as sacred history—a golden chest holding the tablets of the Law, the manna, and Aaron’s rod.
But Catholic teaching sees more.
That Ark was a foreshadowing.
Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant.
She carried the Word—not on stone, but in flesh.
She bore the Bread from heaven—not manna, but Jesus Himself.
She held the true High Priest—not a symbol, but the Son of God clothed in our humanity.
If David danced before the Ark of stone,
how much more should we rejoice before the living Ark—
the one God prepared to be His dwelling place.
Victory Over Death
St. Paul says, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Mary’s Assumption is the first human share in that victory.
She shows us that what is mortal will be clothed in immortality.
Her Assumption isn’t an escape from the world.
It’s the crowning of a life perfectly aligned with God’s will.
She shows us what awaits those who hear the Word and keep it.
Blessed for Hearing and Keeping
When a woman in the crowd cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you,”
Jesus replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
He wasn’t diminishing His Mother.
He was revealing the source of her greatness.
Mary’s motherhood was holy because her discipleship was whole.
Her “yes” echoed from the Annunciation to the Cross—and now into glory.
Why This Feast Matters
To venerate Mary is to celebrate what Christ has done in her—
and to believe He wants to do the same in us.
If we forget her, we risk forgetting that holiness begins with receiving, not achieving.
We miss the human face of God’s covenant—flesh and faith together.
And we overlook the sign of our own destiny in Christ.
A Call on the Assumption
So today, let’s praise God for the marvels He has done in Mary.
Let’s entrust ourselves to her motherly care.
Let’s imitate her readiness to say “yes” to God’s Word—
even when it leads us to the cross.
Mary, Ark of the New Covenant,
Woman clothed with the sun,
Queen crowned with twelve stars,
assumed into heaven—
pray for us,
that we may share the victory you now enjoy
in the presence of your Son.
Amen.
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