The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Homily (2025)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab
Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16 (10bc)
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
August 15, 2025
John shares his vision of the day when he saw “God’s temple in heaven” opened. He could see the “ark of the covenant.”
Now, when we hear the words the “ark of the covenant,” our thoughts likely go to the Ark constructed in the days of Moses to hold the stone tables with the Ten Commandments on them.
That Ark bore God’s Words on the stone tablets.
The ark John saw in this vision points us to Mary as the one who bore God’s Word incarnate in her womb. Mary gave birth to Jesus who inaugurated a new covenant.
In the vision, John sees a “woman clothed with the sun.” Here is Mary, conceived immaculately without sin, the grace of God shining around her. I picture a “halo” shining around her.
Here I think of Elizabeth’s words to Mary was she arrived at her house, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
The woman wore a “crown of twelve stars.” Here, I think of the queenship of Mary that we celebrate one week from today at daily Mass as a memorial feast in the church.
In this vision, John saw not only the woman but a “huge red dragon…with ten horns.” The dragon is the evil one, Satan himself, seeking to devour Jesus. The devil will stop at nothing in his attempts to defeat Jesus.
He will not succeed.
The devil can defeat us by leading us into sin but He cannot defeat Jesus. Like Adam, we die in our sins, but through Jesus, we are all “brought to life.”
How?
How does Jesus save us from our sins?
How does Jesus defeat Satan?
With a weapon that Satan does not have and will never have, love.
The devil doesn’t understand love. He seeks only his own greatness. He doesn’t care about other people.
Since the devil does not understand love, he also doesn’t understand sacrifice.
Jesus defeats sin and the devil with his sacrifice on the Cross. Thanks be to Jesus.
Jesus shows us that God has power even over death when Jesus is the first to be “raised from the dead…For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life.”
Jesus raises all sinners who repent to be with him in the resurrection to eternal life.
What does this have to do with the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Mary was the one who said yes to being the mother of Jesus.
Mary was the one who had complete faith in God because she knew God loved her. Whatever God asked of her, she would say yes.
Mary didn’t just give birth to Jesus. She loved him. She cared for him. She was there as He carried his Cross. She was there at the foot of the Cross.
Jesus loved her.
We have to wait until the appointed time to share in the resurrection of the body. Jesus, loving Mary as his mother, did not want her to have to wait for the resurrection.
Thus, at the time of her death, Jesus saw fit to have Mary immediately assumed into Heaven.
Who would argue with that?
This is The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary that we celebrate today.