Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

Reflection:

Some thoughts to ponder on our gospel from Luke 1:39-56 today. The scripture tells us these things: rejoicing, fulfillment, mystery. These three things are present in the gospel today as we celebrate the Magnificat.

Mary as the chosen one to conceive Jesus our redeemer. Today, we will strive to rejoice with Mary, for whom the Lord has done great things. This feast of rejoicing is also a manifestation of hope for us. We have to rejoice as Mary rejoice herself for being the mother of God. Mary is a symbol of giving. She does not hesitate to share her life to be the mother of our savior.

Fulfillment of the prophecy is a big revelation to the people. Mary the mother of God does not understand very well when the angel came to her. But, she is willing to fulfill the prophecy by carrying Jesus in her womb. The gospel in Luke 1:39-56 is a clear manifestation that Mary during he life supported her Son to the very end. She must have been very devastated upon seeing Jesus died but she understood the truth. She knows the true mystery beyond His death so she bear it.

The gospel in Luke 1:39-56 is the manifestation of the feast of the assumption. Now, I join Mary as he thanks God for the many great things He has done to her. The Magnificat I will also sing with her as the song echoes in the churches today.

Many places in our community will celebrate the feast of the Assumption today. Although the pandemic is still here, the people can’t go out. Yet, we can still celebrate the feast with our families only. We must be very careful in going to church and we must follow the protocols for our safety. Happy feast day Our Lady of Assumption! – Clea | Helpline PH