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August 12, 2022The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Monday, August 15th | Masses at 8am and 6pm
Whiskey and the Word
Wednesday, August 17th | Churchyard | 8pm
Monday, August 15th is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Since it is on a Monday this year and the U.S. Bishops kindly do not want to overburden us by requiring us to attend Mass two days in a row, it is not a holy day of obligation this year. But I’d encourage you to come anyway. Be strong in your faith practice.
The Assumption is one example of a Catholic belief not found in the Bible. When it comes to beliefs, Catholics look not only to the written word of God, the bible, but also to the Apostolic Tradition, that is to the faith that has been passed down from one generation to the next since the time of the Apostles. Catholics believe that when Mary's life on earth was completed, she was assumed body and soul into heaven. In 1950, when Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma or doctrine of the church, he was not proposing for belief a tenet of faith that Catholics had never heard of before. Belief in Blessed Mother's Assumption into heaven goes back centuries in the Church.
If Mary was without sin, there was no reason for the resurrection of her body to be delayed. The church believes that it was "fitting" that the body which housed the Savior of the World should not suffer decay. It is "fitting" that she who gave birth to Jesus should be with him bodily in heaven where she adores him in the glory of his risen and glorified body. In the doctrine of the Assumption, the church tells us that God wishes to save not just our souls but also our bodies. Mary in her heavenly state stands as a symbol of the first fully redeemed person-soul and body. Mary's assumption is a reminder of what is in store for all of us.
August 14, 2022 | Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time | by the Faithful Disciple
Jer 38:4-6, 8-10 | Heb 12:1-4 | Lk 12:49-53
GROW AS A DISCIPLE | PRAY, STUDY, ENGAGE, SERVE
GROW: My mom loved her Nintendo 64. We especially enjoyed “Paperboy,” a video game where a paperboy riding a bicycle attempts to deliver newspapers along Easy Street, Middle Road, or Hard Way. He has to avoid obstacles that pop up along the way – barking dogs, mailboxes, skateboarders, trash cans, you name it! Sometimes life can seem that way. We can’t predict which obstacles will pop up, but the author of the Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to persevere, “keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” Whether we’re riding along “Easy Street” or “Hard Way,” we can look to Jesus to help us overcome the hardships that may come our way because we are his followers. As Jesus tells the disciples, following him will not always be easy and may even result in conflicts within our families. When that happens, we can look to the example of Jesus and the great “cloud of witnesses” to whom the Letter to the Hebrews refers, knowing that peace and reconciliation await us at the finish line.
GO EVANGELIZE | PRAYER, INVITATION, WITNESS, ACCOMPANIMENT
GO: I used to have great fun watching my boys at our neighborhood swim meets. Even as my then-7-year-old zig-zagged into the lane lines during the backstroke, I would yell “Go! Go! Go! You’ve got this.” (And, please, someone catch his head at the finish!) He couldn’t hear a word I said. I wonder if it’s a bit like this when it comes to the “cloud of witnesses” – the saints, known and unknown, who encourage us in our faith. We can’t see them or hear them, but we know they are there. In turn, we can become cheerleaders for others running the race alongside us: offering encouragement, prayers, and reminding one another of the joy that awaits us. Spoken or silent, our prayers can help us and others persevere in our faith and place our trust in Jesus when times are tough.
STUDY: The catechism chapter 3, The Characteristics of Faith (153-165), references this passage from Hebrews on being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Read especially #165.
