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The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
S
UMMARY
Today˅s gospel tells of Mary˅s journey to visit her cousin, Elizabeth,
and includes the well-known prayer, ˈBlessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.ˉ It also includes the beautiful
prayer of Mary, The Magnificat ˀ ˈMy soul proclaims the greatness of
the Lordˎ.ˉ
R
EFLECTION
I love today˅s gospel and its strong images ˀ both ordinary and ex-
traordinary. I envision the journey of Mary, a pregnant young woman
traveling on a long and treacherous road from Nazareth for two or
three days to be with her cousin in Judea. I can only imagine that
she may have needed to take refuge far from Nazareth in a safe place
where she could reflect on all that had happened to her -- a young
woman carrying a child that was not the child of her betrothed, a
young woman who knew she had been chosen by God and whose
ˈspirit rejoices in God my Savior,ˉ despite the predicament in which
she obviously found herself. With some knowledge of what has tran-
spired, Elizabeth, the older family member, welcomed her and em-
braced her. In this gospel, we are also given the lovely image of
John the Baptist ˀ the infant who leaped for joy in Elizabeth˅s womb
ˀ the infant who later would ˈprepare the wayˉ for the public ministry
of Jesus.