"The woman fled to the desert, to a place God had prepared for her, where she will be taken care of for 1,260 days. She was given the two wings of a large eagle in order to fly to her place in the desert, where she will be taken care of for three and a half years, safe from the dragon's attack." (Revelation 12:6, 14)
Feast of Assumption
The solemnity of the Assumption is celebrated on 15th
August. It commemorates the belief that when Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ,
died her body was "assumed" into heaven to be reunited with her soul.
It did not go through the natural process of physical decay in the grave. However,
ever since the Catholic Church establishment
the dogma of the Assumption in 1950 there have always been some doubts and
criticisms. Today the breaking news is that the dogma of the Assumption of the
Virgin Mary is confirmed by irrefutable biblical evidence. Follow me – “you will
know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32)
Biblical Truth
"Then a great and mysterious sight appeared in the sky.
There was a woman, whose dress was the sun and who had the moon under her feet
and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
She was soon to give birth, and the pains and suffering of childbirth
made her cry out. Then she gave birth to a son, who will rule over all nations
with an iron rod. But the child was snatched away and taken to God and his
throne." (Revelation 12:1-2, 5)
This Bible text shows very clearly that Mary was already
crowned in heaven (Revelation 12:1) before the Nativity (Revelation 12:2) and
the Ascension of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:5). It is proof of the Immaculate
Conception and of the divine maternity of the Virgin Mary, which substantiate
the dogma of the Assumption. Thus, the scripture says:
"The woman fled to
the desert, to a place God had prepared for her, where she will be taken care
of for 1,260 days. She was given the two wings of a large eagle in order to fly
to her place in the desert, where she will be taken care of for three and a
half years, safe from the dragon's attack." (Revelation 12:6, 14).
This Bible text is both a figurative description and a
mystical revelation of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Let's
decode the symbols:
(1) The “desert" stands for heaven - "a place God
had prepared for her"- it is not the earthly desert. Certainly, heaven is
the only place that is "safe from the dragon's attack", for the
dragon was cast down to the earth (Revelation 12:12).
In fact, the “desert”, here, stands for a deserted place;
that is, a place empty of people. Thus, it perfectly reveals the isolation of
the Virgin Mary, who is in heaven but without the rest of her offspring
(Revelation 12:17).
(2) The number 1260 stands for "eternity". Thus
1+2+6+0 ÷ 9, which is the last and the biggest numeral can mean the
"fullness" or the "end" of time.
(3) "The two wings of a larger eagle" stand for the
Holy Spirit who came and took her up into heaven.
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GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER |
Imperative of
Assumption
“And so I am thankful
and glad, and I feel completely secure, because you protect me from the power
of death. I have served you faithfully, and you will not abandon me to the
world of the dead. You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence
fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.” (Psalm 16:9-11)
In the light of Psalm 16:9-11, Mary, who said to the angel of the LORD: “I am the Lord's servant, may it happen to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38), could not be left by the same LORD to rot in the grave or to remain in the land of the dead. For God had preserved the body of Mary from the original sin in order for her to conceive and bear his own Son – Jesus Christ - the Savior of the world. (Revelation 12:1-2) Thus from her creation the body of Mary was incorruptible – and could not even decay, if left in the grave. That is why when she “slept” after her earthy life, the Holy Spirit flew her back to her heavenly throne (Revelation 12:13-14).
Mother of Christians
"Then the dragon
became enraged at the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her
offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus."
(Revelation 12:17)
Whoever believes and is baptized into Jesus Christ is an
offspring or child of Mary. Therefore, if anyone boasts - as so many do - that
they are "born again" but at the same time ignores or blasphemes the
Virgin Mary - then they contradict themselves. Rather, every born again
Christian would honor and boast of the Virgin Mary as their beloved heavenly
Mother. For as the scripture says “Honor
your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the
Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). And if we do honor our human and
temporary mothers, how much more we ought to honor our spiritual and eternal
mother – Mary.
Moreover, Mary is a mother unlike any other mother – she is full of grace, love, attention and compassion – with regards to humanity. Thus at the wedding in Cana – to which she was invited – the scripture says, “When the wine was exhausted, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine left.’” (John 2:3) Thus, out of her perfect love and compassion for all human beings the Virgin Mary is always ready to intercede for sinners and for the needy. Therefore, by honoring and inviting her – in our prayers – we would capture her attention and sympathy for us whenever we are in need. That is how the hosts of the Wedding in Cana invited her to their feast, even without knowing what she could do - and she did for them something they never expected and what no one had seen or heard before. It was at her request that Jesus changed ordinary water into extraordinary wine at that wedding in Cana – which was the very first of his miracles (John 2:2-11). From her celestial office as the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church, Mary gives the same favor, today, to those who invite her to the “events” of their lives through prayer and meditation in the Rosary. The wise know that the office of Mary is the shortcut to the throne of Jesus – and they use this shortcut to bypass many obstacles.
Mary is Bereaved
It may be a paradox to hear that Mary assumed into heaven is
bereaved. How can this be whereas heaven is the summit of salvation and the
home of eternal happiness? The truth is that Mary is bereaved not because
heaven is not glorious, but because she is in the anguish of seeing the great
majority of her offspring dying of sin in the world under the manipulation of
the evil one (Revelation 12:12, 17). Besides, there are so many suffering in
purgatory and many condemned in hellfire. That is why she keeps coming to earth
- in her several apparitions (Fatima, Lourdes, Guadeloupe etc.) – to repeat the
exhortation she gave at the wedding feast in Cana, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(John 2:5).
So let us meet Mother Mary in the Holy Rosary, every day, to
console her by seeking the grace for our perfect conversion; and by praying for
the conversion of all sinners and the salvation of souls in purgatory. Mary
wants that all who have fallen short of the grace of God through the sin of
Adam should go back to God through the grace and merits of Christ. That is why
at the same time that she says to Jesus, "They have no wine"; she
also says to the faithful, "Do whatever he tells you". (John 2-3-5).
Today, the "Message of Fatima" constitutes the most recent post
biblical exhortation of the Virgin Mary to the world. It is her call for
prayer, penance and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners and for world peace
- through her Immaculate Heart - (Lucia Speaks, 1976).
So when we honor Mary and listen to her, by meditating in the Holy Rosary she would lead us - by the Holy Spirit - to discover the deepest mysteries of Jesus Christ. She would, also, obtain for us all the graces, light, strength and provisions we need to sustain and to fulfill our life as faithful followers of her first Son - Jesus Christ.
Mary is the Sling
"David strapped
Saul's sword over the armor and tried to walk, but he couldn't, because he
wasn't used to wearing them. I can't fight with all this, he said to Saul. I'm
not used to it. So he took it all off. He took his shepherd's stick and then
picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his bag. With his
sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath." (1 Samuel 17:39-40)
The divine strategy for the salvation of the world was made
and accomplished, with Jesus (the Word of God) as the Saving Stone (Acts 4:11-12),
the Holy Spirit as the Divine Witness (1 John 5:6) and Mary as the Sling (Luke
1:30-31) - through whom the Saving Stone is hurled to destroy Satan, who is the
accuser of God’s children (Revelation 12:10-11).
This divine strategy was known and victoriously applied by David
in his battle against Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40-50). Thus, as the scripture says,
"Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward
the Philistine battle line to fight him. He reached into his bag and took out a
stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his
skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground. And so, without a sword,
David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone!" (1
Samuel 17: 48-50).
In practice, the Virgin Mary - as the Mother of the Incarnate
Word – offers to Christians the Holy Rosary as the Sling with which to shoot
and destroy all adversaries: temptations, sins, demonic attacks, life
challenges etc. This is accomplished by regularly and fervently meditating on
the mysteries of Christ’s salvation in the Holy
Rosary, in order to imitate what they contain and to obtain what they promise –
through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
Benefits from Mary
The Holy Rosary is an instrument for the conversion of
sinners and for growth in holiness through the intercession of the Virgin
Mary. (John 2:5) It is a channel of divine grace to transform the souls,
hearts, and lives of the believers in the salvation of Jesus Christ.
(John 2:3, 7-9). Just as Mary received the Word of God by and nurtured it with
the Holy Spirit into a human being, so also she receives our prayers and
nurtures them with the Holy Spirit, to submit to God for the fulfillment of our
requests. And as true as the Incarnation of the Word through Mary did not miss
its destination in the world, so it is true that the submission of our prayers
through the Virgin Mary, do not miss their destination in heaven. Mary is the
one who takes our prayers to God - through Jesus and in the right format - and
for them to be fulfilled in time
The Holy Rosary is a weapon of battle, deliverance and
victory over Satan, temptation and sin. It is the actual Sling of David (1
Samuel 17:40 - 51) to shoot the Stone of Salvation (Word of God) against
Goliath - the devil - who is oppressing and corrupting Christians in the world (Revelation
12:17)
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GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER |
The Holy Rosary is an instrument of prayer and meditation
through the Virgin Mary for the Incarnation of the Word in the believers. (Isaiah
55:10-11, John 1:14). It is like a step-up transformer for human beings
who, living in the flesh, to attain to the divinity of God, who lives in the
Spirit. (John 1:1-5, 14). In fact, Mary was the channel for God to step down
from his divinity to the humanity of humans, and so, she is also the channel
for humans to step up from their humanity to the divinity of God.
The Almighty God used the Virgin Mary as the channel of his
incarnation and we use her as the channel of disembodiment and
spiritualization. That is to say, just as God who is Spirit was made flesh
through Mary (incarnation of the Word), humans who are flesh are made spiritual
through the same Mary (meditation of the Word in the Holy Rosary). This is a very
fundamental and stunning instrument that so many Christians are yet to grasp. May
the abundant grace we receive through this Solemnity of the Assumption lead us to
penetrate, through the intercession of Virgin Mary, the deep mysteries of our faith
- to profit us for eternal salvation; Amen.
Author: Aying Godman;,
Catechist & Evangelist; Founder of Catholic Front Media™
Contact email: ayinggodman@gmail.com
Copyright (c) Aying
Godman (2021-2023). All rights reserved
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