It is fitting that the Holy God, who has become man and suffered the worst form of suffering, be raised by the Father to be the Perfect Man in heaven. God ‘prepared a body for His Son’ (Heb. 10.5) in order to come into the world through the Immaculate Virgin (Gen. 3.15, Is. 7.14, Gal. 4.4). She was conceived without original sin, and cooperating with the grace of God, she lived a sinless life. So it is fitting that the Mother of Jesus, the Word Incarnate, who partook in His salvific mission, should be raised to heaven, body and soul. It was God’s plan that through conversion, faith and living of our Baptism we become the members of the Body of Christ (Col. 1.24) and children of Mother Mary assumed into heaven. She draws us to share Her own glory. It is our Vocation and Mission to live in such a way that we become worthy of being Her children so as to share Her glory in heaven. “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pangs of child birth even until now. Not creation alone, but we ourselves, who have the first fruit of the Spirit groan in our innermost being, eagerly awaiting the day when God will adapt us as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved” (Rom. 8.22-24).
Let us rejoice in the Lord and celebrate this feast in honour of the Virgin Mary, at whose assumption the angels rejoice, giving praise to the Son of God. Mary, the well beloved Daughter of the Heavenly Father, the tender Mother of His Son Jesus and the Most Beloved of the Holy Spirit, please pray for India as she celebrates the 70th year of her Independence today. May we all aspire for the true freedom of the children of God. The song of Rabidranath Tagore: “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father let my country awake” be the song of prayer arising from the heart of every citizen of India.
Fr. James Mariakumar SVD