Staying close to Mary, mother of Jesus, our mother

On Monday, August 15, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. In the Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition, August 15th, the following words are sung:

In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.

Mary has not left us. She has become fully united to her Divine Son, the source of all life and love. From this new vantage point, Mary intercedes for us, her children, and she models for us the Way of Holiness. If we remain close to her, she will sustain us in our life’s journey and welcome us into our heavenly homeland.

As Pope Francis tells us in his Apostolic Exhortation Guadete et Exsultate (On the Call to Holiness):

 I would like these reflections to be crowned by Mary, because she lived the Beatitudes of Jesus as none other. She is that woman who rejoiced in the presence of God, who treasured everything in her heart, and who let herself be pierced by the sword. Mary is the saint among saints, blessed above all others. She teaches us the way of holiness, and she walks ever at our side. She does not let us remain fallen, and at times she takes us into her arms without judging us. Our conversation with her consoles, frees and sanctifies us. Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need to do is whisper, time and time again: ‘Hail Mary…’  (Gaudete et Exsultate, #176).

We, too, can be holy. We can live the Beatitudes to the best of our ability. We can open our hearts to Jesus and accept both the joys and the sorrows of his way of life. We can trust in God’s mercy so that when we fall short of his hopes for us we can beg for forgiveness and rejoice in his saving grace. We can turn to Mary our Mother at any time, and she will guide us to her son, Jesus. We can whisper her name day in and day out, and she will show us how to be holy.

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