Gospel Reflection for The 15th day of August in the year of Our Lord, 2024

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

39 And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. 40 And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.

41 And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.

46 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.

51 He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: 55 As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

56 And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house.

Once again, the Douay Rheims includes a thought provoking and appropriate note:

[48] "Shall call me blessed": These words are a prediction of that honour which the church in all ages should pay to the Blessed Virgin. Let Protestants examine whether they are any way concerned in this prophecy.

The early Church venerated and prayed to saints and angels constantly. That the very first Christians venerated images of the Blessed Virgin Mary is evidenced by the painting in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, believed to be painted by the same St. Luke who was an Apostle of Christ and an author of the gospel bearing his name. The earliest churches and the catacombs are filled with religious icons – statues, paintings that cover the walls and ceilings, etc. While all acknowledge that the Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special role in Catholicism, most Protestants would be surprised to learn that the earliest known prayer to a saint was to her earthly husband and foster father of our Lord, Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph died during the earthly life of Jesus, while the Blessed Mother lived several decades after His resurrection. Therefore, it is not surprising that our Lord would have told His disciples much about His earthly father. Archaeological evidence for the following prayer is believed to date to around 50 AD… several of the Apostles were still alive. This prayer to Saint Joseph was very likely prayed by the Apostles, themselves, and was common among Christians:

O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in thee all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph, do assist me by thy powerful intercession and obtain for me from thy Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that, having engaged here below thy heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating thee and Jesus asleep in thy arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near thy heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.

In 1505, this ancient prayer to Saint Joseph was sent from the Pope to Emperor Charles when he was going to battle, because the Church states, “Whoever reads this prayer or hears it or carries it, will never die a sudden death, nor be drowned, nor shall poison take effect on them; neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy, nor be burned in any fire, nor shall they be overpowered in battle.”

The earliest Marian or prayer to The Blessed Virgin Mary, for which we have evidence, was written in Greek. In Greek, the Blessed Virgin Mary is called “Θεοτοκος”, the “Bearer of God”. The prayer was found on a fragment of papyrus that dates all the way back to approximately 250 AD, two centuries before the Third Ecumenical Council, the Council of Ephesus, in which the Virgin Mary was proclaimed “Mother of God”:

Beneath thy compassion, we take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble, but rescue us from dangers, only pure one, only blessed one.

As Fr. Spirago tells us:

St. Elizabeth called her the Mother of God (Luke i. 43). Nestorius' heresy that Mary should be called only the Mother of Christ, was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. " If," as St. Cyril says, " Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how can it be that the holy Virgin who bore Him is not Mother of God ? " Though the mother does not give the soul to her offspring, she is none the less called the mother; so Mary is called the Mother of God, though she did not give to Christ His divine nature.

Third Council at Ephesus in 425, where Mary was declared to be the Mother of God; the Seventh General Council, or Second of Nicaea in 787, where the veneration of images was declared lawful

Prayer to the Mother of God is also very efficacious : for she is "full of "grace," and "the dispenser of all God's gifts." "Let no one," says St. Alphonsus," consider this last title extravagant, for the greatest saints have so spoken of her, and the saints, as we know, were inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth."

I love Fr. Spirago’s works, but I can put it more succinctly. The Ten Commandments order us to love and respect our mother. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’s mother is the blessed Virgin Mary. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, His mother is our mother. We have both an earthly mother who gave us birth and a heavenly mother who is our spiritual mother, just as we have a spiritual brother who is our Lord and a spiritual Father, the eternal and living God. Indeed, among Jesus’ last words from the cross were:

John 19:26-30

Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son.' Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed and, so that the scripture should be completely fulfilled, he said: I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the wine he said, 'It is fulfilled'; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

Note, that our Lord did not address Saint John as “John”, as He did Saint Peter when assigning him specific authority. He said, “Man.” This is very important. Protestants often believe it was some kind of insult when Jesus referred to His mother as “Woman” during the wedding feast at Cana. However, in that era, addressing someone as Woman or Man as opposed to their familiar name was a sign of respect. Notice how, in the Bible, the term “Man” is so often used when serious matters are at hand. No one thinks that an insult. Obviously in the dying words of the God who is the very embodiment of love, He would not be insulting those whom He loved. But, it is more than that. Both our first parent, Eve, and our Blessed Mother are called “Woman.” This is further evidence of their universal role as mother to humanity.

The early Church was very devoted to both the Apostles and Mother of God. Saint Ignatius wrote the following letters… it truly pains me that these fascinating relics of the early Church are unknown by most all Protestants, and even most Catholics:

Ignatius, and the brethren who are with him, to John the holy presbyter.

We are deeply grieved at thy delay in strengthening us by thy addresses and consolations. If thy absence be prolonged, it will disappoint many of us. Hasten then to come, for we believe that it is expedient. There are also many of our women here, who are desirous to see Mary [the mother] of Jesus, and wish day by day to run off from us to you, that they may meet with her, and touch those breasts of hers which nourished the Lord Jesus, and may inquire of her respecting some rather secret matters. But Salome also, [the daughter of Anna,] whom thou lovest, who stayed with her five months at Jerusalem, and some other well-known persons, relate that she is full of all graces and all virtues, after the manner of a virgin, fruitful in virtue and grace. And, as they report, she is cheerful in persecutions and afflictions, free from murmuring in the midst of penury and want, grateful to those that injure her, and rejoices when exposed to troubles: she sympathizes with the wretched and the afflicted as sharing in their afflictions, and is not slow to come to their assistance. Moreover, she shines forth gloriously as contending in the fight of faith against the pernicious conflicts of vicious principles or conduct. She is the lady of our new religion and repentance, and the handmaid among the faithful of all works of piety. She is indeed devoted to the humble, and she humbles herself more devotedly than the devoted, and is wonderfully magnified by all, while at the same time she suffers detraction from the Scribes and Pharisees. Besides these points, many relate to us numerous other things regarding her. We do not, however, go so far as to believe all in every particular; nor do we mention such to thee. But, as we are informed by those who are worthy of credit, there is in Mary the mother of Jesus an angelic purity of nature allied with the nature of humanity. And such reports as these have greatly excited our emotions, and urge us eagerly to desire a sight of this (if it be lawful so to speak) heavenly prodigy and most sacred marvel. But do thou in haste comply with this our desire; and fare thou well. Amen.

His friend Ignatius to John the holy presbyter.

If thou wilt give me leave, I desire to go up to Jerusalem, and see the faithful saints who are there, especially Mary the mother, whom they report to be an object of admiration and of affection to all. For who would not rejoice to behold and to address her who bore the true God from her own womb, provided he is a friend of our faith and religion? And in like manner [I desire to see] the venerable James, who is surnamed Just, whom they relate to be very like Christ Jesus in appearance, in life, and in method of conduct, as if he were a twin-brother of the same womb. They say that, if I see him, I see also Jesus Himself, as to all the features and aspect of His body. Moreover, [I desire to see] the other saints, both male and female. Alas! why do I delay? Why am I kept back? Kind teacher, bid me hasten [to fulfil my wish], and fare thou well. Amen.

Her friend Ignatius to the Christ-bearing Mary.

Thou oughtest to have comforted and consoled me who am a neophyte, and a disciple of thy [beloved] John. For I have heard things wonderful to tell respecting thy [son] Jesus, and I am astonished by such a report. But I desire with my whole heart to obtain information concerning the things which I have heard from thee, who wast always intimate and allied with Him, and who wast acquainted with [all] His secrets. I have also written to thee at another time, and have asked thee concerning the same things. Fare thou well; and let the neophytes who are with me be comforted of thee, and by thee, and in thee. Amen.

If we are to become like Christ and His Apostles, we must develop a deep love for the Mother of God. The closer we draw to her, the closer come to her Son.

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2024 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3ZTXQB4

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His new podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic