Some things to think about on this day, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—
From Fr. Ken:
Mary, the mother of Jesus, enjoyed all the joys of being a mother.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, suffered all the sorrows of being a mother.
She accepted them both because of Jesus.
She accepted them both when she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
From Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation:
The genuine significance of Catholic devotion to Mary is seen in the light of the Incarnation itself. The Church cannot separate the Son and the Mother. Because the Church conceives of the Incarnation as God’s descent into the flesh and into time, and His great gift of Himself to His creatures, she also believes that the one who was closest to Him in this great mystery was the one who participated most perfectly in the gift. When a room is heated by an open fire, surely there is nothing strange in the fact that those who stand closest to the fireplace are the ones who are warmest. And when God comes into the world through the instrumentality of one of His servants, then there is nothing surprising about the fact that His chosen instrument should have the greatest and most intimate share in the divine gift.
Mary, who was empty of all egotism, free from all sin, was as pure as the glass of a very clean window that has no other function than to admit the light of the sun.
Father, help us clean the windows of our hearts so that we may admit the light and love of Your Son into the world around us. Amen.