On the Feast of the Assumption: Have Hope, Have Confidence

Throughout the course of our lives, we each encounter difficulties, sufferings, and trials. “Great is the anxiety all men are doomed to, heavy the yoke each son of Adam must bear, from the day when he leaves his mother’s womb to the day when he is buried in the earth, that is mother of all” (Sirach 40:1). Perhaps you are struggling with a difficult relationship, financial burdens, emotional pain, a grave temptation or a physical malady. This is the human condition in a world broken by sin and disobedience.
But no matter what difficulty or sorrow you are struggling with today, I have a message for you: Look to Mary and have hope.
Why? Mary is the icon of the Church. In her glorious Assumption, which we celebrate today, we see our destiny—her triumph is our triumph. We too, if we do not fall away, will be assumed into heaven to be with Jesus and the whole family of God. This is our certain hope.
And yet, Mary’s assumption is more than a foretelling of the marriage feast of the Lamb; it is the consummation of her role as the new Eve, the mother of all the living. In the assumption, we see Mary ascend to be our advocate and support, to be our Mother. She does not sit in heaven idly, savoring it’s joys while ignoring her children. No, she daily brings aid to them whom she loves so deeply. Thousands and thousands of stories through the centuries attest to this faithful consolation. She is the great Auxilium Christianorum, the Help of Christians.
Who is she who rises from the emptiness of this world steeped in the delights of Paradise? O Mary, greater than the heavens, you have the world under your feet, and you are seated close to God, on the throne of honor which Jesus gave you. Your mercy which surpasses all