The Assumption

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10; Psalm 45; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Luke 1:39-56

Have you found yourself watching and listening to less news or have you stopped watching all together? Many people have told me they have made such a conscious choice. They cannot bear it anymore. The seven headed dragon of extremism in our country; the overturning of Roe and the issue of abortion; racism; war in Ukraine; hunger in Yemen; rising gas prices and the economy; floods, fires, and droughts around the world, the divisiveness in Congress and Statehouses. And then there’s the issues in our personal lives?

It is too much to bear, is it not?

The red dragon with seven heads and ten horns is real. The violence this dragon causes sweeping a third of the stars away and hurling them to the earth reminds me of the Triwizard Tournament of Dragons in Harry Potter. People can die in this tournament. Cedric Diggory did. There is good cause for fear and worry and wanting to shut the world out at times. But denial never makes the dragon go away, does it?

Scripture offer us a counter image echoed through science. A much needed image for our time. They are the images we have been receiving from the Hubble Space Telescope and now the James Webb Telescope. The vastness of the universe. More importantly, its intense beauty. The spinning of galaxies and the birthing of stars. Isn’t that what we find in this pregnant woman about to give birth who is clothed with the light of suns, crowned with the zodiac and stands upon the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Earth, and Mars?

The birthing woman cloaked with the cosmos is a sign of hope in the midst of all our fears and worries. What can be more hopeful than a woman bringing forth fresh, new life?

In Leonard Bernstein’s song, Greeting, the composer/lyricist offers us insight into just such hope.

When a boy is born, the world is born again,

And takes its first breath with him.

When a girl is born, the world stops turning ‘round,

And keeps a moment’s hushed wonder.

Every time a child is born, for the space of that brief instant,

The world is pure.

Yes, the world is pure. For what is more hopeful and powerful than a new born child? Is this not the same hope when a Christian looking into the face of the death dealing aspects of life is filled with trust in a God who saves?

The scriptures today repeat over and over again the actions of our God.  

The newborn is rescued from the devouring jaws of the dragon and is caught up to God. The woman flees to a place prepared for her by God. Mary sings…God has mercy. God shows the strength of his arm. God scatters the proud. God casts down the mighty. God lifts up the lowly. God fills the hungry. God sends away the rich. God comes to the help of his servants. God remembers promises made.

Maybe it is a good choice not to linger over 24/7 news feeds. It takes our minds off the God who is alive and in Christ Jesus has conquered death in all it forms. Rather, delight in the curves of pregnant women. Look into the faces of children and their parents. Be mindful of the cosmos in our sun, planets and stars of the Milky Way. Use the photos from Hubble and Webb for meditation and in all these images find the hope to move beyond fear.