Faith and Mission
The Feast Of The Assumption Of Mary
On 15 August, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, one of only two Days of Holy Obligation in Australia; the other day being Christmas Day.
The feast of the Assumption is one of the many feasts of Mary, originating from a sixth century feast of the Dormition or ‘Falling asleep of Mary’. By the seventh century the feast became known as the Assumption of Mary. The date of this feast commemorated a very ancient harvest festival towards the end of summer, which gave thanks to the Earth Mother for her fertility in producing the harvest.
The feast acquired a special status in 1950 when Pius XII defined the Assumption as a dogma of faith. In the wake of the human devastation of World War I and World War II, Pope Pius wanted to proclaim a teaching that would benefit and dignify all of humanity:
“It is to be hoped that from meditation on the glorious example of Mary ‘humanity’ may come to realize more and more the value of a human life entirely dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Heavenly Father and to caring for the welfare of others.”
Call to prayer: Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.
Mary accepted God wholeheartedly into her life. Let us open ourselves to God through a dedicated time of sacred reading.
Reading
A reading from the gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55)
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 forever.”
Reflection
This passage of scripture, commonly called The Magnificat, is a call for justice. What call for justice do you hear today that you are able to respond to?
God, our Wisdom, Source of our Peace, our souls proclaim your greatness, hear us as we pray:
May the leaders of our Church show us by their word and example that God is to be praised in all we do
May we work to ensure that the gifts of Creation are more evenly distributed among the peoples of the earth
May we reflect your mercy through our work of reconciliation between black and white Australia, and in the welcome we give to refugees who come to our shores
May we, in the spirit of visitation, reach out to others in this time of lockdown through acts of kindness and simple service.
May the bread of Christ, broken for a better world, bring together all those estranged or divided in the name of religion, so that together we may share in the Feast which God has prepared for the hungry.
For what else or for whom else do you pray?
Holding these prayers from the silence in your heart, take a moment to pray
Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with you
Blessed are you among women
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners now
And at the hour of death. Amen.
Empowering God, Inspire us by the example of Mary’s openness to your Love. May we live in this attitude and bring to birth a new world! We make our prayer through Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Celebrations at Bentleigh East Campus
On Friday 12 August, Staff and students joined the Parishioners of St Peter’s Bentleigh East to celebrate Mass for the Feast of The Assumption. The Mass was celebrated by Father John O’Reilly.
The students from Years 7 to 10 received a warm welcome from members of the parish who were impressed not only by the lovely singing of the choir, the participation of student readers and helpers but also with the reverence and respect shown by all during the Mass.
It was a very special celebration as it was the first 'all-campus' gathering at St Peter’s since Covid restrictions were imposed.
We look forward to many more such celebrations in the future.
Dee O’Neill
Faith and Mission Coordinator - Bentleigh East
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Faith and Mission