Pope Francis: Today, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin
Mary, we contemplate her ascending in body and soul to the glory of Heaven.
Today’s Gospel also presents her to us as she ascends, this time “into the hill
country” (Lk 1:39). And why does she go up there? To help her cousin Elizabeth,
and there she proclaims the joyful canticle of the Magnificat. Mary ascends and
the Word of God reveals to us what characterizes us as she does so: service to
her neighbour and praise to God. Both of these things: Mary is the woman of
service to neighbour, and Mary is the woman who praises God. The evangelist
Luke, moreover, narrates the life of Jesus himself as an ascent upwards,
towards Jerusalem, the place of his self-giving on the cross; and he also
describes Mary’s journey in the same way. Jesus and Mary, in short, travel the
same road: two lives that ascend upwards, glorifying God and serving brethren. Jesus
as the Redeemer, who gives his life for us, for our justification; Mary as the
servant who goes to serve: two lives that conquer death and rise again; two
lives whose secrets are service and praise. Let us look more closely at these
two aspects: service and praise.
Service. It is when we stoop to serve our brethren that rise: it is love that
elevates life. We go to serve our brothers and with this service, we “ascend”.
But serving is not easy: Our Lady, who had just conceived, travels almost 150
kilometres from Nazareth to reach Elizabeth’s house. Helping is costly, to all
of us! We always experience this in the fatigue, patience and worries that
taking care of others entails. Think, for example, of the kilometres that many
people travel every day to and from work, and the many tasks they perform for
others; think of the sacrifices of time and sleep in caring for a newborn or an
elderly person; the effort in serving those who have nothing to offer in
return, in the Church and in voluntary work. I admire voluntary work. It is
tiring, but it is ascending upwards, it is reaching Heaven! This is true
service.
Praise to God
But service
risks being barren without praise to God. Indeed,
when Mary enters the home of her cousin, she praises the Lord. She does not
talk about her weariness from the journey, but rather a song of jubilation
springs from her heart. Because those who love God know praise. And today’s
Gospel shows us “a cascade of praise: the child who leaps with joy in
Elizabeth’s womb (cf. Lk 1:44); Elizabeth who utters words of blessing and “the
first beatitude”: “Blessed is she who believed” (Lk 1:45); and everything
culminates in Mary, who proclaims the Magnificat (cf. Lk 1:46-55). Praise
increases joy. Praise is like a ladder: it leads hearts upwards. Praise raises
souls and defeats the temptation to give up. Have you seen how boring people,
those who live off gossip, are incapable of giving praise? Ask yourselves: am I
capable of giving praise? How good it is to praise God every day, and others
too! How good it is to live in gratitude and blessing instead of regrets and
complaints, to raise our gaze upwards instead of wearing a long face!
Complaints: there are people who lament every day. But see that God is near
you, see that he has created you, see the things he has given you. Praise,
praise! And this is spiritual health.
Service and praise. Let us try to ask ourselves: do I live my work and
daily occupations with a spirit of service, or with selfishness? Do I devote
myself to someone feely, without seeking immediate advantages? In short, do I
make service the “springboard” of my life? And thinking about praise: do I,
like Mary, exult in God (cf. Lk 1:47)? Do I pray, blessing the Lord? And, after
praising him, do I spread his joy among the people I meet? Each one of you, try
to answer these questions.
May our Mother, assumed into Heaven, help us to climb
higher each day through service and praise.
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