Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Good morning. One never knows what the day brings. Here in today’s Gospel we have Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth who despite her old age was going to have a baby because for God nothing is impossible. The prayers of Zachariah and Elizabeth were answered. Like Zachariah we too pray for things. Like Zachariah we too hope for things. And like Elizabeth who announces in today’s Gospel that the Lord is with us we too know that the Lord is present in our lives and He responds to our yearnings. 

A year ago from yesterday He was with Linda and I and He responded to our prayers. He responded in many ways. In the midst Linda turned to me and implored “Please pray!”—I was. He was with us. He continues to be with us. We have always known that we need God in our lives and we’ve always come to rely upon Him in good times and bad. When we cry out for help, the Lord hears us and listens. He will continue to be with us. We’ve come to know that He is with us. The Lord responded to the prayers of Zachariah and Elizabeth. So too He will respond to the prayers of all couples who set their needs before Him. It is of extreme interest that only 1% of marriages where couples pray together wind-up in divorce. Too bad more couples don’t pray together. 

One never knows what the day brings but do know that the Lord is here with us. If our marriage is based in faith then the disbelief of the world around us cannot harm us. If we place our trust in Him as Mary totally trusted in the Lord, we’ll know the joy of the infant John leaping in the womb. If we place our marriage in His hands, all will be well. Make a great day! 

Today we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Assumption we celebrate today offers us hope of things to come, that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended. 

 + My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior 

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. 

From this day all generations will call me blessed: 

the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. 

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. 

He has shown the strength of his arm, 

and has scattered the proud in their conceit. 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, 

and has lifted up the lowly. 

He has filled the hungry with good things, 

and the rich he has sent away empty. 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel 

for he has remembered his promise of mercy, 

the promise he made to our fathers, 

to Abraham and his children forever.