The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
A former teacher once made for us a distinction between ascension and assumption. To "ascend" is active; to be "assumed" is passive. Jesus ascended to heaven by his own power, while Mary, “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord.” (CCC 966, emphasis added)
The distinction is true and helpful, yet risks misunderstanding Mary’s fiat (“May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38) as a purely passive acceptance, as though her “yes” at the Annunciation was a one-time resignation to be a limp instrument in God’s hands—a resigned life culminating in a passive Assumption.
But what of Mary’s fortitude and fidelity? Her full cooperation with grace before the Annunciation, her union with the Holy Spirit, her daily participation in the life and ministry of Jesus? For Mary and for us, there is nothing more life-giving and active than doing the will of God, especially in the ordinary. Mary served God in the hiddenness of her childhood, in the quiet of Christ’s home in Nazareth, and in the steady, sorrowful path to the foot of His cross. Mary handed over her lowliness to God, and in return God did great things for and through her.
Even in hiddenness, Mary does the will of her son Jesus, and her soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. This is one reason the moon appears so frequently in Marian imagery. The moon is humble, yet reflects the light of the sun. Without the sun, the moon is just a rock, moving in darkness. With the sun, the moon proclaims the sun’s greatness and disperses its light among the heavens and on earth below. In the words of Venerable Fulton Sheen, "The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son."
Mary, assumed into heaven, shines as a promise and an example of the power that God works (and of the light of Christ that we reflect) every time we faithfully, humbly, and actively embrace our daily vocation. Even in hiddenness, when we do the will of her son Jesus, our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord.
Stephen Barany is a Catholic illustrator living in South Bend, IN. He recently illustrated a book on the Chronicles of Narnia for Ignatius Press (Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey with C.S. Lewis) and is currently working on his first self-published book, Alphabet Mobile, a wordless picture book teeming with alliterative drawings that help children learn the alphabet, build their vocabulary, and practice the art of careful looking. You can support his work by following him on Instagram or downloading free coloring activities from his website.