Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption

Hear the word of God and observe it While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Jesus replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:27-28) Jesus’ reply, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” is a beatitude, one which can be counted together with the eight beatitudes like “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” “Blessed are they who mourn,” and “Blessed are the meek,” that Jesus preached at the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 5:1-12). Jesus’ reply should not be interpreted as a rebuke to His mother; rather, Jesus’ words confirm how blessed His mother is. In fact, Mary is twice blessed: for carrying Jesus in her womb and nursing him, and for hearing the word of God and observing it. As people see beatitude through the eyes of this world, such as material wealth, prestige and blood relationship, Jesus teaches them to see beatitude from the vantage point of the kingdom of God. In the case of this Gospel passage, Mary’s attentiveness to God’s word is what makes her truly blessed. Scripture attests to this by saying that Mary pondered and kept the word of God in her heart: at the Annunciation, when the angel came and told her that she was chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah (cf. Luke 1:26-35), and at the Finding of the Boy Jesus in the Temple, when she pondered in her heart everything that the twelve-year old Jesus said, after she and Joseph found Him in the midst of the learned teachers in the temple (cf. Luke 2:41-51). How important it is for us to ponder the word of God – the word of God are the words of life, and together with the sacraments, both give us true life in the Spirit – a life in which we steadily grow in our ability to discern and to assent to God’s will and what is pleasing to Him. Each and every day we get the chance to ponder the word of God through the daily readings for Mass. We cannot simply read the Bible; we must study it! Studying the Bible goes beyond just knowing the Bible stories; it means understanding the context of the bible passages, its purpose, its teaching and how it fits in God’s plan of salvation. In this way, we can draw the correct applications from the word of God to our lives. We have heard so many times how Mary is our model for so virtues – Mary as a model of humility, a model of obedience, a model of holiness. Let us also remember Mary as the model of those who hear the word of God and observe it. And Mary said to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)