Solemnity of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In the Olympics the world’s most perfect bodies are
celebrated. The athletes have strained for
years to render their bodies exquisitely fit for the sport being played. Despite all this work in time these same bodies
will grow weak whether from neglect or disease.
The days will come when they, like the bodies of all living things, will
cease to function completely. The
remains of these bodies then will have to be disposed in some form or another
In the case of the Mother of God, however, the day of
death was short-lived. Her body was
assumed into God’s glory because it was not corrupted by the guilt of sin. She lived a life like that of the rest of us –
full of moments of joy and hours of drudgery.
But, unlike us, she never despised another person as not worth her attention. She never wanted more than she knew she
deserved. She never deceived anyone for
either meanness or gain. Not weighed
down by guilt, Mary was granted the greatest prize. Her body remained intact after death and entered
the company of her glorious son.
That our bodies will also deteriorate and perish need not
make us sad. We know that we have joined
ourselves to Christ who has conquered death.
Our bodies will rise again at the end of time with an appearance perhaps
not unlike those of the Olympians today.
But that won’t be the cause for our joy so much as our nearness to him
who saved us.
