Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY
(Mass during the day)
Readings:
Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a
Psalm 45:9b, 10-11, 15
1 Corinthians 15:20-26
Luke 1:39-56
Abbreviations: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), RSVCE (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In the Hebrew text, the words LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments. Therefore, we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that our Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: The Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary into Heaven
The Assumption into Heaven of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Holy Day of
Obligation in most years in the United States. However, the number of the Holy
Days of Obligation varies from year to year since the Church lifts the precept
to attend Mass if any of the following days falls on a Saturday or a Monday:
January 1st (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), August 15th
(Solemnity of the Assumption), or November 1st (Solemnity of All
Saints). When the holy day is moved to a Sunday, the faithful are still encouraged
to attend Mass on the actual day of the feast in the liturgical calendar.
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates, according to the beliefs of the Roman Catholic, Eastern, and Oriental Orthodox Churches, the taking up of the Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory at the end of her earthly life. This solemnity has been celebrated in the Eastern rites since the sixth century and in Rome since the seventh. The belief in Mary's assumption into Heaven is part of the Deposit of Faith received from the Apostles. Since her earliest years, the Church taught this dogma (a truth of faith) of Mary's entrance into Heaven before or when she was near death. However, it wasn't until this doctrine came under continual attack that Pope Pius XII dogmatically defined it in November 1950 in the apostolic constitution Munificentisimus Deus by exercising papal infallibility (see CCC 966).
In Munificentisimus Deus 39, Pope Pius XII cited the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 as scriptural support for the dogma, pointing to Mary's victory over sin and death through her motherly union with the "new Adam," Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:54, St. Paul also alludes to this conquest over the loss of physical life when he wrote, "death is swallowed up in victory." The Second Vatican Council affirmed this dogma, stating: "The Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things" (Lumen Gentium, 59). However, while the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches believe in the Dormition of the Mother of God (also called the Dormition of the Theotokos or "the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God), they did not determine if she physically died before her Assumption.
The Assumption is the Virgin Mary's most important feast. It is a joyous event because it anticipates the bodily resurrection of all Christians and presents Mother Mary's particular involvement in the miracle of Jesus's bodily Resurrection. The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary also reminds us of the holiness of Creation and the goodness of God's plan for the redemption of humanity.
The First Reading Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10 ~ The
Vision of the Ark and the Woman
11:19a God's Temple in Heaven was opened, and the Ark of
his covenant could be seen in the Temple. 12:1 A great sign appeared in the
sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her
head, a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as
she labored to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a
huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven
diadems. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them
down to the earth. Then the Dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male
child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught
up to God and his throne. 6a The woman herself fled into the desert where she
had a place prepared by God. [...] 10 Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the
authority of His Anointed One."
Our reading is from the visions the glorified Jesus revealed to St. John while he was a prisoner on the island of Patmos (Rev 1:1-2, 9). The point of this vision in the Book of Revelation, which comes midway through St. John's seven visions, is like a new beginning. Our lectionary reading presents these verses without a chapter division. Originally, Sacred Scripture had no chapter or verse designations. The chapter divisions were introduced in the Middle Ages, probably by the Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton (d. 1228). The verse separations were added later by Robert Estienne in the 16th century. The point is that there is no separation between 11:19 and 12:1 in the ancient manuscripts, and that is how the passage should be read and studied.
That "Heaven was opened" is a significant statement that announces this vision is taking place after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. From the Fall of Adam until Jesus's Baptism and His Resurrection victory over sin and death, the gates of Heaven remained closed to all human beings (Mt 3:16; Rev 4:1; CCC 536, 1026). All the dead, both the wicked and the righteous, were consigned to Sheol (Hades in Greek) until Jesus descended to Sheol from His grave, preached the Gospel of salvation, and then led the souls of the righteous dead into the gates of Heaven (1 Pt 3:18-22; 4:6; Apostles' Creed; CCC 632-635).
Revelation 11:19 reveals that St. John saw the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred shrine of the covenant people, in the heavenly Sanctuary. This statement would have riveted 1st-century AD readers. The Ark of the Covenant was lost to the covenant people of Judah/Israel just before the destruction of Solomon's Temple in 587/6 BC when the prophet Jeremiah removed it from the Holy of Holies and hid it in a cave on Mt. Nebo (2 Mac 2:1-8). In Jesus's time, the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Second Temple was an empty room. It is important to note what Scripture relates concerning the way into the heavenly Sanctuary: In this way the Holy Spirit shows that the way into the Sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer tabernacle still had its place (Heb 9:8), referring to the Ark of the Covenant in the Jerusalem Temple. In John's vision, he saw the opened heavenly Sanctuary and the Ark of the Covenant revealed. The Ark was created by God's command at Mt. Sinai and was the people's visible proof of their covenant relationship with God and His divine presence among them (Ex 25:10, 22). According to the Letter to the Hebrews, the Ark held three items (Heb 9:3-4):
12:1 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed
with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars.
When the thunder and lightning ceased, John announced that
he saw the Ark (11:19). Then, in the next verse, he immediately saw a woman. And
the woman he saw was "a GREAT sign"! The words "great sign" will only appear
again in Revelation Chapter 15 when the seven angels bring forth their chalices
with seven plagues.
The "great sign" pointing to the woman as a symbol is central to understanding the significance of the vision. St. John's message to the reader is to think carefully about the Biblical meaning of this "great sign." In the Bible, a "sign" always points beyond itself to something more significant. In this case, the Greek noun for "sign" is semeion, and the central "sign" or symbol is a "woman." The word "woman" or "women" appears nineteen times in the Book of Revelation, making it almost as important a symbol as that of "the Lamb" (used thirty times). Jesus told John at the beginning of the visions that what he must write down would be a "book of signs" of events that were to take place very soon (Rev 1:1), and in Revelation 1:3, He warned John that the time is near. Indeed, John will use the word "sign" a significant seven times in Chapters 12-19, revealing three signs in Heaven (Rev 12:1, 3; 15:1) and four on earth (Rev 13:13, 14; 16:14; 19:20).
There are three astronomical signs used to describe the woman in 12:1: the sun, the moon, and twelve stars. Some commentators refer to the vision of Joseph son of Jacob-Israel, in Genesis 37:9-11, when he saw his father as the sun, his mother, Rachel, as the moon, and his brothers as eleven stars bowing down to him. Other scholars disagree that there is a connection and suggest these are genuine celestial images. The constellation Virgo ("the Virgin") appears wreathed in twelve stars: Pi, Nu, Beta, Sigma, Chi, Iota (six stars from the Southern Hemisphere around the head of Virgo), and Theta, Star 60, Delta, Star 93, Beta, the second magnitude star, and Omicron (these last six from the Northern Hemisphere surround the head of Virgo). All these stars can be seen with the naked eye now and in the 1st century AD.
Most commentators suggest that the twelve stars may stand for the twelve tribes of Israel since Mary was a "daughter of Israel," but since Mary is also a symbol of the New Covenant Church, they may also stand for the twelve Apostles. Thus, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel and the Apostles represent the divine order of government for God's covenant people in the Old and New Covenants.
It is also interesting that the only time the constellation Virgo is "clothed" with the sun and has the moon "under her feet" is in the month of the sign of Virgo ("the Virgin"). This phenomenon corresponds with the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (ordained by God at Mt. Sinai) in late August/mid-September! It is also significant that the 7th Trumpet has just sounded in the Book of Revelation before John's vision of the Ark and the great sign of "a woman." Lesson 18 of the Book of Revelation study discusses the connection to the Feast of Trumpets.
In the Old Testament, "a woman" is a familiar Biblical image for the Old Covenant Church, the chosen people of God who were collectively the Bride of Yahweh (see Is 26:17-18; 40:1-2; Chapter 50; 66:6-11; Jer Chapter 3; Lam Chapter 1; Ezek Chapter 16; Hos Chapters 1-4, and Mic Chapter 4). The Ark John saw is a woman who is a "great sign" (Rev 12:1). She is the "woman" whose coming God foretold in Genesis 3:15, whose "seed" (offspring) God destined to defeat the "seed" of Satan, the serpent. The "woman" John saw signifies the fulfillment of the mission of her Son, Jesus Christ.
Most Protestant commentaries want to dismiss Mary as the "great sign" and only recognize the "woman" as a sign of the Church. However, the "sign" of the woman John saw was more than a symbol of the Church because he explicitly identifies her as the mother of Christ in verse 5: The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron scepter. It is the same way Christ identified Himself in Revelation 2:27 when He said, "I myself have been given by my Father, to rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like so many pots." Revelation 2:27 and 12:5 in our passage are references to the kingship of the Messiah from Psalm 2:9: With an iron scepter, you will break them, shatter them like so many pots.
Since the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Church has identified the woman clothed in the sun and standing on the moon as the Virgin Mary after her assumption into Heaven. In his vision, St. John saw her revealed in all her glory as the Davidic Queen Mother (Gebirah/Gebira) of her son's heavenly kingdom. See the document Mary The Queen Mother of the New Davidic Kingdom. The most important woman in the realm of a Davidic king was his mother. Scripture names most of their mothers along with their sons in the list of the Davidic kings of Judah in the Book of 2 Kings (cf., 2 Kng 8:26; 12:1-2; 14:1-2; 15:1-2, 32-33; 16:1-2; 18:1-2; etc.). Pope Pius X, Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul VI, and Pope John Paul II affirmed this teaching. The vision of St. Juan Diego when the Virgin Mary appeared to him at Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in December 1531 confirms this interpretation. He saw a woman "clothed in the sun and standing on the moon," and she identified herself as the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego. The image that miraculously appeared on his peasant cloak was the same vision St. John saw of the "woman" in Revelation 12:1!
The connection to Mary is the title Jesus used to address His mother in John 2:1-4 at the wedding in Cana, and when He spoke His last words to His Mother from the Cross in John 19:27. He called her "woman," gunai in Greek, which is better translated as "little woman." Jesus used this title to address Mary because she is the promised "woman" of Genesis 3:15, whose son would defeat the serpent, Satan (Rev 12:9). She is the new Eve who, unlike the first Eve, was obedient to God, and through her obedience helped to bring about the redemption of humanity. That Mary is the Ark of the Covenant St. John saw in Heaven is revealed in the contents of the gold-covered box of the ancient Ark of the Covenant (Heb 9:3-4) and the identity of Jesus inside the womb of the Virgin Mary:
For these reasons, the Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant in the interpretation of Revelation 11:19-12:1.
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THE VIRGIN MARY AS THE ARK OF THE NEW COVENANT "Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of God dwells. She is 'the dwelling of God [...] with men.'" CCC# 2676 |
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| God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled the Ark. The Ark became the dwelling place of the presence of God among His people (Ex 40:34-35). | God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled Mary. Mary's womb became the dwelling place of the presence of God among His people (Lk 1:35). |
| The Ark contained the Ten Commandments (the word of God in stone), a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that came back to life (Ex 25:16; Dt 10:2, 5; Heb 9:4). | The Virgin's womb contained Jesus, the living Word of God enfleshed, the living bread from Heaven, "the Branch" (Messianic title) who would die but come back to life (Luke 1:35). |
| The Ark traveled to the hill country of Judah to rest in the house of Obed-edom (2 Sam 6:1-11). | Mary traveled to the hill country of Judah (Judea) to the house of Elizabeth (Lk 1:39). |
| Dressed in a priestly ephod, King David approached the Ark, danced, and leaped for joy (2 Sam 6:14). | John the Baptist, the son of a priest who would become a priest, leaped for joy in his mother's womb (Elizabeth) at the approach of Mary bearing Christ in her womb (Lk 1:43). |
| David shouted for joy in the presence of God and the holy Ark (2 Sam 6:15). | Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud cry of joy in the presence of God the Son within Mary (Lk 1:42). |
| David asked, "How is it that the Ark of the Lord comes to me?" (2 Sam 6:9). | Elizabeth asked, "Why is this granted unto me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Lk 1:43). |
| The Ark remained in the house of Obed-Edom for three months (2 Sam 6:11). | Mary remained in the house of her cousin Elizabeth for three months (Lk 1:56). |
| God blessed the house of Obed-Edom because of the presence of the Ark (2 Sam 6:11). | The word "blessed" is used three times in Luke 1:39-45 concerning Mary at Elizabeth's house. |
| Later, the Ark resided in the newly built Temple (2 Sam 6:12; 1 Kng 8:9-11). | Mary eventually came to Jerusalem, presenting God the Son in the Temple (Lk 1:56; 2:21-22). |
| God made Aaron's rod (later kept in the Ark) return to life, bud, and bear fruit to prove he was the legitimate High Priest (Num 17:8). | God resurrected His Son, who had become enfleshed in Mary's womb and born to bring the fruit of salvation to all humanity, and upon His Ascension to become the eternal High Priest (Heb 4:14). |
| God commanded that priests cover the Ark with a blue veil when transporting it outside the Holy of Holies (Num 4:4-6). | In Mary's appearances outside Heaven, visionaries testify that she wears a blue veil. |
| In Revelation 11:19, St. John saw the Ark of the Covenant in Heaven in the last verse of Chapter 11. | In Revelation 12:1, St. John saw Mary in Heaven. It is the same vision Juan Diego saw of Mary in 1531—the Woman clothed with the sun and standing on the moon. |
| Michal E. Hunt, Copyright © 2002 | |
The Virgin Mary's title is "Woman" because she is the promised "Woman" of Genesis 3:15. She is also the "new Eve." Just as the original Eve cooperated in humanity's fall from grace, so does Mary, as the "new Eve," assist in humanity's redemption. The first Eve's name means "mother of all living" (Gen 3:20), but Mary is the Mother of all who will live for eternity in God's heavenly Kingdom. Jesus gave the Church His mother Mary, the second Eve, when He told John the beloved disciple, as representative of all beloved disciples, from the Cross: "Behold your mother." It is by the gift of His mother to His Bride, the Church, that she becomes the "Mother of the living" for all who live in Christ: "Thus, the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith" (St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3,22,4).
The Woman and the Dragon: 12:2
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. 3
Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven
heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 Its tail swept away
a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the Dragon
stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave
birth.
The Book of Revelation begins in 1:1 with the announcement: He
sent His angel to make it known to His servant John (underlining
added for emphasis). With St. John's vision of Mary, the Mother of God, as the
Ark of the New Covenant in Revelation 11:19-12:1, he then turns to the
beginning of the story of Israel's struggle to bring forth the Messiah. In
Revelation 12:2-10, St. John saw Mary, a daughter of Israel and the symbol of
the Old Covenant Church, laboring down through salvation history to give birth
to the Messiah. We understand that the vision refers to the Old Covenant Church
laboring to bring forth the Messiah because Mary, who was without original sin,
did not suffer under the curse of pain in childbirth. What unfolds is the birth
of Jesus and the birth of the Church, together with Satan's unsuccessful
attempts to destroy Jesus and the Woman (and the product of her precious "seed"
= the Church), as promised from the fall from grace of our first parents, Adam
and Eve. The second part of the Book of Revelation will end with Christ's victorious
ascent into Heaven and the victory of the Church over Satan and his "seed."
12:2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
The literal translation in Greek reads exactly like the
description of Mary in Matthew 1:18: ... she was found to be with child. The
passage in Matthew is a quote from the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (quoted as a
fulfillment statement in Mt 1:23). During that struggle, while laboring to give
birth, the woman is crying aloud. The verb krazo, used in the
present tense, indicates prolonged suffering. The verb has special significance
in Scripture where it is generally used for oath swearing, or the solemn
proclamation of God's divine revelation, or for God's servants speaking out
against opposition to God's plan (see
Mt 27:50;
Mk 3:11; 5:7; 9:24; 10:48; 15:13;
Jn 1:15; 7:28; 12:13, 44;
Acts 19:28, 32, 34;
Rom 9:27; Gal 4:6;
Jam 5:4; and
Rev 6:10; 7:2, 10; 10:3; 14:15; 18:2, 18-19; 19:17). This time the
crying aloud is prophetic. It is the essence of all prophetic revelation that bears witness to Christ
(Jn 5:39, 45-46; Lk 24:25-27;
Acts 3:24; 13:27) and the
Church's official declaration of the Word of God, the prophecy she (the Old
Covenant Church) cried out as she labored down through the centuries to give
birth to the Redeemer-Messiah.
Verse 12:2 is a symbolic reference to the Old Covenant Church struggling through her painful history to "give birth" to the Messiah to fulfill Israel's destiny. It is symbolic because Mary did not experience pain in giving birth to Jesus because she was without sin. Pain in childbirth was Eve's judgment for disobeying God and the curse for fallen humanity (see Gen 3:16). However, that curse did not apply to Mary. It has always been a tradition of the Church that Jesus's birth was like light passing through glass, as the Protoevangelium of St. James and St. Thomas Aquinas described His birth. Mary's virginity remained intact, and there was no pain because the curse of Genesis 3:16 did not apply to one conceived without sin (CCC 490-93). John's description of the woman crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth echoes the prophet Isaiah's use of the pain of childbirth to describe the Old Covenant Church's struggle to secure salvation for believers. Isaiah wrote: As a woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in pain, so were we before you, LORD [YHWH]. We conceived and writhed in pain, giving birth only to wind; salvation we have not achieved for the earth ... (Is 26:17).
Throughout her existence, Israel, the Old Covenant Church, longed for the Messiah. The waiting began with the covenant with Abraham when God selected a holy couple as the family from which the "holy seed" of the Messiah would come to redeem humanity. The waiting continued through slavery in Egypt, Exodus liberation, and the covenant treaty establishing the Old Covenant Church at Sinai. The waiting continued during the time of the Davidic Covenant, the exile in Babylon, and the return to the sufferings of the covenant people under the rule of the Greeks and Romans. All that time, Israel was laboring to give birth to the Messiah, a birth that promised to yield salvation for the entire world! Mary, a daughter of the Old Covenant Church and a daughter from the house of the great King David (Lk 1:32), is the perfect symbol of the Church laboring to give birth to the Redeemer-Messiah, Jesus.
Do not miss the significance of the Book of Isaiah prophesying God giving a sign to King Ahaz that finds its fulfillment in the virgin birth of Christ (Is 7:10-14 quoted as a fulfillment statement in Mt 1:23). The point is a woman giving birth is hardly a unique sign. Still, regardless of the meaning of the Hebrew ha-almah being "the virgin" or "the young woman," the Greek translation definitely has "the virgin (parthenos)," and is the Greek translation from Isaiah used in the 1st century at the time of the birth of Christ as quoted by St Matthew in the fulfillment statement in 1:23. Matthew stated that the virgin birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. For more on the subject of the Isaiah 7:14 translation controversy, see the document The Septuagint Old Testament Translation Versus the Jamnian and Massoretic Old Testament Translations.
3 Then a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a
huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads
crowned with a coronet. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and
hurled them to the ground, and the Dragon stopped in front of the woman as she
was at the point of giving birth, so that he could eat the child as soon as it
was born.
This passage is not a sequel to the earlier vision but a
"prequel." John unveils this scene as an explanation of the preceding passage and
answers why the Woman/Mother-Church had to flee into the wilderness. Once he
has described Satan's rebellion in verses 7-12, John will return to the theme
of the flight of "the Woman" in verses 13-14.
John gave us the identity of the "dragon" in verse 9, which is missing from our reading: the dragon is Satan. The dragon imagery links us to the primeval serpent (verse 9), the same deceiver of Eve and the enemy of God's people. But he will not have victory over the Second Eve, the Virgin Mary, the promised woman of Genesis 3:15 whose "seed"/offspring will defeat Satan. The concept of Mary as the "New Eve" goes back to the Church's earliest years. St. Irenaeus (martyred in AD 202) wrote: "Consequently then, Mary the Virgin is found to be obedient, saying: 'Behold, O Lord, your handmaid; be it done to me according to your word.' Eve, however, was disobedient; and when yet a virgin, she did not obey. Just as she, who was then still a virgin although she had Adam for a husband, for in Paradise they were both naked but were not ashamed; for, having been created only a short time, they had no understanding of the procreation of children, and it was necessary that they first come to maturity before beginning to multiply, having become disobedient, was made the cause of death for herself and the whole human race; so also Mary, betrothed to a man, but still a virgin, being obedient, was made the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race [...] Thus, the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith" (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.22.4).
Notice that we now have three symbols representing three entities in the reading, but in the complete passage of Revelation Chapter 12, there are four, and the fourth is an angel:
| The Sign | The identity of the Sign | Identifying Verse |
| The Woman | The Virgin Mary and Mother of the Church | verses 5, 17 |
| The Dragon | Satan | verse 9 |
| The Son | Jesus the Messiah | verse 5 |
| The Angel | Michael the Archangel | verse 7 |
If all the other identities of the signs are symbols and individuals, then it follows that the Woman must be more than a symbol; she must also be an individual who plays a role in salvation history.
4 Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and
hurled them to the earth.
John has already associated stars with angels in the Book of
Revelation. It is a familiar Biblical connection (see the
Lesson on Revelation 1:20). John symbolically describes the fall of the angel Dawnstar/Lucifer
(Isaiah 14:12-15) and the angels who joined him in the rebellion against God. He
clarifies more in verse 9, which is not part of our reading: the great
Dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had led all the
world astray, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down
with him. St. Peter also related this event in 2 Peter 2:4 ~ When angels
sinned, God did not spare them: He sent them down into the underworld and
consigned them to the dark Abyss to be held there until the Judgment. Also,
see Jude verses 5-13, which is relevant for interpreting God's judgment of
unbelieving Israel. St. Jude wrote: I wish to remind you, although you know
all things, that [the] Lord who once saved a people from the land of Egypt
later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels too, who did not keep
to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains,
in gloom, for the judgment of the great day (Jude verses 5-6). And
Jude verse 13, They are like wild waves of the sea, foaming up their
shameless deeds, wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been
reserved forever, also throws light on the reference to "stars" in
Revelation 12:4.
We do not know if a literal third of the heavenly host fell with Satan. The third is probably symbolic of a complete but partial number and recalls the third of the Trumpet Judgments (see Rev 8:7-12; 9:15, 18). There may also be a connection to Jesus Christ as the "firstborn" (re'shiyt in Hebrew). The "firstborn" is a title and a rank but not necessarily a birth order. Every son designated by his father as a "firstborn" was entitled to a two-thirds portion of the inheritance (see Dt 21:17). God has reserved a two-thirds part for Jesus, "the firstborn," and His Kingdom (one-third fell, so two-thirds remains of the faithful host of Heaven). Another interesting point in this passage is the courtroom language John used. The Biblical principle of the "two witnesses" may also be involved (Dt 17:6; 19:15). For every false witness (fallen angel) of Satan who stands against the covenant, God has two angels on His side to support the covenant.
This two-thirds/one-third imagery also appears in the Book of Zechariah, the post-exile prophet, but in reverse in Zechariah 13:7-9. Significantly, Jesus will quote Zechariah 13:7 in the Last Supper discourse. The one-third that is faithful but tested by fire is the "faithful remnant" of Israel that embraced the Messiah (Jn 15:6). These faithful are also "the seed of the Woman" collectively through Mary as Mother of the Church upon whom Satan will declare war (see Rev 12:17).
Who does the Dragon intend to destroy in Revelation 12:4? There are two answers:
Do you see the connection between Mary and the Church? Both are, at the same time, ever-virgin and fruitful mothers. The Church is the virgin Bride of Christ and, simultaneously, the fruitful mother of many generations of believers.
In Revelation 12:4, "The dragon stopped in front of the woman" is perhaps better translated as "took his stand before the woman." The Greek word is hesteken, which means "to stand." Satan knows this is the final battle. And continuing in verse 4, the line to devour (eat) the child is more meaningfully translated as "to swallow up the child." In Hebrew, the phrase "swallowing up" means to kill or to do away with and is used frequently to express Satan's seed bringing suffering and destruction to God's people, like Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who tried to "swallow up" Jerusalem (Jer 51:34, literal Hebrew translation). With the imagery in this passage, John reveals the red Dragon as the power behind the imperial thrones (he wears a royal crown) of the ancient world that has persecuted God's holy covenant people. John's vision is the same as what God revealed to His prophet Daniel in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7. The seven crowns in Revelation 13:1 link this figure to Daniel's vision. You can read about the symbolism of the ten horns and seven crowned heads in Chapter 13 of the Revelation study (Revelation Lesson 16).
The Dragon/Satan's ultimate goal is to abort the work of the Messiah and to devour/kill Him. Scripture announced the war between the Messiah and Satan in Genesis 3:15. The war is between the two seeds: the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent (literal Hebrew in Gen 3:15). From Genesis to Revelation, from the first book to the last book of the Bible, this is the war of history. Throughout history, Satan was either trying to keep Jesus from being born, kill Him as soon as He was born, or destroy Him as an adult. It is a strategy by which Satan cannot win. St. Augustine wrote: "The cross of the Lord was the devil's mousetrap; the bait by which he was caught was the Lord's death."
5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule
all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his
throne. 6a The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place
prepared by God. [...] 10 Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven say: "Now have
salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His
Anointed One."
These verses identify Mary as the "woman" in addition to the
symbolic representation of the woman as the Church. The reference to the Messianic
passage from Psalms 2:9 is also in Revelation 12:7. It identifies Jesus as the
Messianic King (see bold type added for emphasis) ~ I will proclaim the
decree of Yahweh: He said to me, "You are my son, today have I fathered you.
Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations as your birthright, the whole wide
world as your possession. With an iron scepter, you will break them, shatter
them like so many pots" (Ps 2:7-9 NJB).
As John wrote in Revelation, Psalm 2 makes the Messiah's birth one with His enthronement. The Ascension and enthronement were the goals of Christ's First Advent. In other words, because God the Father begets Jesus as His Son, Jesus Christ reigns! Despite everything Satan has tried to do, the promised seed of the Woman is caught up to the heavenly throne and takes His place as the ruler of all nations with an iron scepter, just as if He had gone from the Incarnation straight to the Throne. Satan has no power to stop Him.
6a The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a
place prepared by God.
The imagery moves from the Woman/Mary and her seed/Jesus to
the Woman as the Church, and her seed, the faithful believers in Christ Jesus.
As it will become apparent, the Woman's flight into the wilderness represents
the flight of the Judean Christians from religious persecution by the Jews and
later the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. While she is in the "wilderness,"
"the Woman"/the Church is nourished and cared for by God; when Satan's wrath falls
vengefully on Christians, God protects the Church. The "Woman's" flight does
not signify God's abandonment of her but His loving provision. Christ's
faithful Bride (the New Covenant Church) is safe because God prepared a safe place
for her (see 2 Sam 7:10; 1 Chr 17:9; Jn 14:2-3).
John also probably means that we should think of two other occasions when the "Woman," as an individual, and the "Woman," as the Old Covenant Church, was protected by obedience to God's command to escape from danger. Those two events are Israel's flight into the wilderness to flee from the Egyptians and the flight of the Virgin Mary into Egypt to escape wicked King Herod, who tried to kill baby Jesus (Mt 2:13-15). We should also be aware that this verse images Mary not only as the symbol of the Old Covenant Church and the mother of Christ but also as the Mother of all Christians (Rev 12:17). Like the image in Revelation 12:2, the New Covenant Church continues to struggle against Satan and labors in giving birth to future generations of New Covenant believers.
Our passage in the First Reading ends with 10 Then, I
heard a loud voice in Heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the
kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One."
As it often does in John's heavenly visions, Heaven's
announcement of victory comes in a loud voice, calling the heavenly assembly to
praise God for His marvelous works brought about through the Blood of the Lamb.
This verse reminds us that the entire setting of St. John's visions is
liturgical. The result of Christ's victory over Satan is fourfold: salvation,
power, kingdom, and authority (in the symbolic meaning of numbers in Scripture,
four is the number of the earth):
Satan is no longer the prince of the earth; his dominion over humanity and the world has ended. He is unable to prevent God's plan for humankind's salvation. However, his influence and the power to do damage remain. Therefore, as the spiritual offspring of Mary, who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus (Rev 12:17), we must fight against evil by continuing Jesus's earthly ministry to spread His Gospel message for the sake of humanity's salvation.
Responsorial Psalm 45:9b, 10-11, 15 ~ Mary the Davidic Queen
The response is: "The queen stands at your right hand,
arrayed in gold."
9b The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold
of Ophir.
Response:
10 Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your
people and your father's house.
Response:
11 So shall the king desire your beauty, for he is your lord.
Response:
15 They are borne in with gladness and joy; they enter
the palace of the king.
Response:
Psalm 45 describes the Davidic king's marriage to a foreign princess. First, the psalmist praises the king and then turns his attention to the virgin bride who has come to unite her life to his. In verses 10-11, the bride is encouraged to be submissive and obedient to her husband. He loves her and will make her happy. In verse 15, the bride's companions accompany her as she enters the king's palace. This psalm was part of the Liturgy of the Jerusalem Temple. Its purpose was to raise the people's consciousness to the promise of the future Davidic Messiah-King and the people's role as the covenant bride.
Since verses from this psalm appear in the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews (compare Ps 45:6-7 to Heb 1:8-9), Christian tradition has expanded its significance by seeing the Church and the Blessed Virgin Mary in its references to the king's bride. Specifically, verse 9b supports the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. St. Amadeus wrote: "Therefore when the Virgin of virgins was assumed into heaven by the God who was her Son, the King of kings, amid the joy and the rejoicing of the angels and archangels and the acclamation of all the blessed, the prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled: 'At your right hand stands your queen in gold of Ophir [Ps 45:9]'" (St. Amadeus of Lausanne, Homily, 7).
In Mary's Assumption into Heaven, she took her rightful place as the Queen of the heavenly Kingdom of her Son, the Divine Davidic King. In the days of the Davidic kings, it was not his wife who sat on the right side of the king; it was the king's mother (he had several wives but only one mother) who bore the official title Gebirah, "Queen Mother" (see 1 Kng 1:10-28; 2 Kng 10:13, etc.). Mary is also the symbol of the Church, the Bride of Christ. She is both ever-virgin and fruitful mother since all Christians are her children. The rightful Queen (Gebirah) of the Kingdom is Mary's role in Heaven. See the document "Mary the Queen Mother of the New Davidic Kingdom and the chart of the Davidic kings and their mothers.
The Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 ~ Christ the
Firstfruits of the Resurrection
20 Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits
of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through man, the
resurrection of the dead came also through man. 22 For just as in Adam all
die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, 23 but each one in proper
order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
24 then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. 25 For
he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last
enemy to be destroyed is death, for "he subjected everything under his feet."
In this passage, St. Paul writes about the end of the age when Christ returns as the glorious King, having overcome sin and all elements of its power over the world. Although St. Paul only refers to the resurrection of the just (verse 23), elsewhere, he mentions the resurrection of all humanity, both the righteous and the sinner (1 Cor 15:51-53; 1 Thess 4:13-17, etc.). Mary's assumption into Heaven prefigures the resurrection of the just. Those, like Mary, who have died to sin with Christ in Christian baptism will also reign with Him (2 Tim 2:12). However, the Virgin Mary is the one who has a special place among the redeemed because she is the mother of the Redeemer and the first Christian. She is also the Gebirah, the Queen Mother of the Davidic King of the new and eternal Covenant.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies
under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for "he subjected
everything under his feet."
In verses 25-26, Paul refers to the destruction of death
when Christ returns and the Last Judgment takes place (see CCC 1038-1041). It
is a vision St. John witnesses in the Book of Revelation: I saw the dead,
the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened.
Then another scroll was opened, the Book of Life. The dead were judged
according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up
its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according
to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire.
This pool of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written
in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire (Rev 20:12-15, NJB; underlining
added for emphasis).
Hades is not the hell of the damned, but the abode of the dead called Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. Notice that it is a state that continues to function until the end of time and the Last Judgment (Rev 20:13-14). Sheol/Hades was a state where the righteous waited for the coming of the Messiah, and the wicked suffered in punishment for their sins (Lk 16:19-31; CCC 632-33). When Jesus descended to preach the Gospel of salvation to the dead in Sheol, He liberated the righteous dead from that state (1 Pt 3:18-20; 4:6; Apostles' Creed). At that time, both blessings and judgments became eternal. Sheol no longer held the righteous dead but became known as a place of purification for the saved who died with unconfessed venial sins or for the atonement of confessed and forgiven mortal sins where further atonement was still necessary (1 Cor 3:13-15). The Church identifies this state as Purgatory, from the Latin word for purification, where the fiery love of God cleanses those destined for Heaven (CCC 1030-32). The pool of fire is the hell of the damned (see CCC 633, 1033-34).
The Gospel of Luke 1:39-56 ~ The Visitation and
the Canticle of the Virgin Mary
39 During those days Mary set out and traveled to the
hill country in haste to a town of Judah 40 where she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the
infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried
out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting
reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who
believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." 46 And
Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior. 48 For he has looked upon his handmaiden's lowliness; behold,
from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49 The Mighty One has done great
things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is from age to age to those
who fear him. 51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of
mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted
up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has
sent away empty. 54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, 55
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants
forever." 56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her
home.
After the angel, Gabriel's visit, and the Incarnation of God the Son (Lk 1:26-38), Mary probably joined a caravan traveling to Jerusalem, making the seven to eight-day journey from Nazareth in Galilee to the hill country's Judean town of her kinswoman Elizabeth and her priestly husband, Zechariah. According to a Christian tradition predating the Crusades, Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in Ein Kerem, about four miles west of Jerusalem. After the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, the Book of Nehemiah records that the chief priests resided in or near Jerusalem (Neh 11:3).
Elizabeth was in seclusion for the first five months of her pregnancy (Lk 1:24), as the ancients counted without the concept of a zero place-value (four months as we count). When Mary traveled to visit her, she was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, as the ancients counted (Lk 1:36). Mary's desire to see her kinswoman was probably prompted by the Holy Spirit as well as by her need to share her experience with someone who would understand her knowledge of the Incarnation.
When Mary entered the house of her kinswoman, and Elizabeth first heard Mary's voice (Lk 1:40), the fetus of St. John the Baptist, recognizing the presence of his Lord, leaped for joy within his mother's womb (Lk 1:41, 44). The unborn St. John's response to Mary and the Christ within her recalls God's words to Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you" (Jer 1:5). Think of the horror of abortion that is taking place daily as children, personally known by God from the womb and given as His holy gift, are violently murdered before, and in some cases, after birth.
In Elizabeth's Holy Spirit-inspired greeting to Mary, she gave three blessings in verses 42-45:
We recite Elizabeth's blessing of Mary in verse 42 in the Hail Mary Prayer that begins with the angel Gabriel's greeting in Luke 1:28, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Elizabeth's third blessing for Mary is, Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled, contrasts with Zechariah's unbelief (1:18). Mary is the first Christian. Her belief does not waver during the years of Jesus's ministry or His Passion. She is last seen in Scripture faithfully praying with those who believed and waited for the coming of the Paraclete in the Upper Room after Jesus's Ascension (Acts 1:13-14).
Luke 1:43 And
how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Ancient and modern Biblical scholars have commented on the
similarity between Elizabeth's rhetorical question in Luke 1:43 and King
David's rhetorical question referring to the Ark of the Covenant in 2 Samuel 6:9 when he said: "How can the Ark
of the Lord come to me?" They have seen Elizabeth's question as an
intentional comparison between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling
place of God among His people (see the chart on Mary as the Ark of the New
Covenant in the first reading). A deliberate comparison seems confirmed by
verse 56, where Mary is said to stay in Elizabeth's house in the Judean hill
country for three months, just as the Ark remained in the Judean hill country
house of Obed-Edom for three months in 2 Samuel 6:11.
When Elizabeth says "my Lord" in verse 43 and "the Lord" in verse 45, her reference is to Jesus in verse 43 and God in verse 45. In speaking of the Divinity of Jesus, she refers to Mary as "the mother of God." By the strength of Elizabeth's statement, prompted by the Holy Spirit, in AD 431, the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be the "Mother of Jesus" and the "Mother of God." In CCC 495, the Church teaches: "Called in the Gospels 'the mother of Jesus,' Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as 'the mother of my Lord.' In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos)." Also, see CCC 466, 495, and 509.
From what Elizabeth says in verse 45, she knows what the angel Gabriel told her husband and what Gabriel told Mary. The Holy Spirit revealed this knowledge to her in the moment of her joy, but other information must also have been related to her by her husband (see 1:60, where she knows the child's name before Zechariah's speech has returned).
For other references to the expression "fruit of your womb" in Scripture, see where God promised to bless Israel for covenant obedience: He will love and bless and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the produce of your soil (Dt 7:13). Also, see Psalm 127:3 where it is written: Children too are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Therefore, to reject the birth of a child is to deny a gift from God.
Luke 1:46-55 ~ The Canticle of Mary (the Magnificat)
46 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 48 For he has looked upon his
handmaiden's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy
is from age to age to those who fear him. 51 He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down the rulers from
their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good
things; the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham
and his descendants forever." 56 Mary remained with her about three months and
then returned to her home.
Mary's response to Elizabeth's exclamation of praise for her belief and the honor God has shown her as "the mother of the Lord" is a hymn of praise known as the Magnificat. Some scholars have concluded that Mary's Magnificat, like the Benedictus of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79), was an early Aramaic Jewish-Christian hymn that predates Luke's Gospel. Other scholars disagree, citing the numerous references to the Greek Septuagint Old Testament passages within the two chants (Fr. Raymond Brown, The Birth of Jesus, pages 350-55 and the opposing view from Fr. Raymond Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke, page 361). One test for such a theory is how easily the Greek translates into Hebrew or Aramaic. Notice that Mary's hymn is full of Old Testament Scripture references.
Mary's hymn of praise divides into three parts. She praises God for:
46 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...
Mary begins by calling God her Savior, not just her people's
Savior. The word "Lord," Kyrios in Greek, is understood to be Yahweh, the
source of Mary's blessing and salvation. The expression "rejoices in God my
Savior" echoes Hannah's hymn of praise to God in 1 Samuel 2:1.
In verse 48, Mary says: For he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me. The NJB has "he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant," which echoes Habakkuk 3:18. Her humble station is the first reason for Mary's praise. She declares that all generations will pronounce a beatitude over her because of God's divine plan for her life and her willingness to submit to that plan. The verb makariousin, in the future tense, reflects the adjective makaria that Elizabeth used in verse 45.
Notice in verse 48b that Mary utters a prophecy for future generations and her relationship to them that is prompted by the Holy Spirit. However, this prophecy requires action on the part of all Christians. Our obligation, as disciples of Jesus Christ, is to honor Mary just as her Son honored her according to the Law (Ex 20:12; Dt 16). If we live in imitation of Christ, we must imitate His honor and love for her. To honor one's parents is the only one of the Ten Commandments that carries a promise (see Ex 20:12). When Jesus gave Mary into the care of the beloved disciple as his mother at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:26-27), she became the mother of every disciple of Christ Jesus, including you (also see Rev 12:17).
49 the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is
his Name. 50 He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
Verse 49 is the second reason for Mary's praise. She uses
the same title for God that appears in the "daughter of Zion" passage in
Zephaniah 3:17 (Greek LXX) and Psalms 89:9 (Greek LXX). That God "has done
great things" for her echoes Deuteronomy 10:21, in which God promised the
children of Israel He would do "great things" (great saving acts) for them if
they remain loyal and obedient. Mary saw this promise fulfilled in what God did
by making her the mother of the Redeemer-Messiah. It is a "great thing" that would
bring about not only her salvation but the salvation of her people (also see Dt 11:7 and Judg 2:7).
Notice in verses 49-50 that Mary names three attributes of God: His might, holiness, and mercy. "Holy is his name" or "His name is holy" refers to God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh) and is an echo of Psalms 119:9, while "His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him" echoes Psalms 103:17. One's "name" was believed to express the entire essence of a person, or in this case, of God as the great "I AM" and which God told Moses, "This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations" (see Ex 3:15).
When Mary spoke of "fear of the Lord" in verse 50, something God repeatedly urges in Scripture (i.e., Ex 18:21; Lev 25:17, 36, 43; Dt 6:13, 24; 8:6; 10:12, 20), it is a repeat almost verbatim from Psalm 103:17. However, she was not speaking of servile fear but reverence toward God in recognizing His sovereignty and fear of offending Him. "Fear of the Lord" is the positive aspect of keeping on the path to righteousness. Mary's hymn, which began by praising God for what He has done for her, now expands to what God has done for her people.
51 He has shown the strength of his arm, and has
scattered the proud in their conceit. 52 He has cast down the mighty from their
thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Expressions like "shown the strength/might of his arm" often
appear in Scripture (for example, Ex 6:6; Dt 4:34; Ps 89:11;
Is 40:10; 51:5, 9; 53:1). God is spirit, and this expression doesn't mean to suggest God has arms
like human beings. It is an anthropomorphism meant to convey the exercise of
God's great power and strength. Verse 52 is an echo of Job 5:11 and 12:19.
The "wealthy" who are the "arrogant of mind and heart" are the enemies of the poor and humble and, therefore, the enemies of God (see Is 2:12, 17; 4:15; 13:11; Wis 3:10-11, etc.). Mary was speaking of God's promise of ultimate justice for those who have suffered and for those who have caused the suffering. She included a quote from Psalm 107:9: For he satisfied the thirsty, filled the hungry with good things. In His divine justice, God will judge men and women according to their deeds (Mt 25:31-46; Lk 6:20-25), and the rich who abuse their material gifts will experience a reversal of fortune when they are "sent away empty."
54 He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he
has remembered his promise of mercy, 55 and the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."
Mary's concluding statement contains echoes of the promises in
Isaiah 41:8-9 from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation of the Old Testament (the
version used in Mary's time), as well as Psalms 98:3 and Micah 7:20:
Mary understood that her condition bearing the Redeemer-Messiah, the heir of King David, and the living realization of the promises of the Davidic covenant was the fulfillment of God's promise not to abandon His covenant people. Her son would fulfill the covenant promises made to Abraham, one of which was a worldwide blessing (Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). Jesus Christ and His Kingdom of the Church fulfill that blessing (Gal 3:8).
Mary's beautiful hymn of praise illuminates her great humility and faith. Of course, it is the way God created her. In Catechism citation 722, the Church teaches: "The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of Him in whom the whole fullness of deity dwells, bodily, should herself be 'full of grace.' She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the 'Daughter of Zion: Rejoice.' It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son."
56 Mary remained with her about three months and then
returned to her home.
According to Scripture, Elizabeth was six months pregnant
when Mary arrived (Lk 1:24, 26), and Mary remained with Elizabeth for three
months (Lk 1:56). Does this suggest that Mary stayed until the birth of Elizabeth's
son? Before you answer, remember the ancients counted without the concept of a zero-place
value and included parts of days in the count, and a day began and ended at
sundown. This way of counting is why Scripture records Jesus rested in His tomb
three days from Friday before sundown to Sunday morning instead of two, and
that a woman's pregnancy lasted for ten months (see Wisdom 7:1-2). Therefore,
according to how we count, Elizabeth was five months pregnant when the angel
visited Mary and seven months pregnant when Mary left. Thus, Mary departed
before St. John's birth.
Mary returned to Nazareth when she was two months pregnant, as we count months (three as the ancients counted). She had pressing issues to settle in Nazareth before her pregnancy began to show and before travel became too dangerous for her. She trusted in God to protect her and to bring His Divine Plan for humanity's salvation through the birth of her son to completion.
Do you assist in fulfilling Mary's prophecy that "all generations will call me blessed" (Lk 1:48) in obedience to the word of prophetic knowledge by the Holy Spirit? Do you venerate her as the Mother of God, the Gebirah (Davidic Queen Mother) of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church, your spiritual Mother? Show her your love and reverence by praying the rosary with her for the sake of her Son's Kingdom and her other children, your Christian brothers and sisters who are in peril and suffering persecution.
Catechism References (* indicates that Scripture is
quoted in the citation):
Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a
(CCC 1138*)
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (CCC 655); 15:20 (632, 991); 15:21-22 (CCC 411*); 15:24 (CCC 668*); 15:26 (CCC 1008*)
Luke 1:41 (CCC 523*, 717, 2676*); 1:43 (CCC 448*, 495, 2677); 1:45 (CCC 148, 2676); 1:46-55 (CCC 722*, 2619*, 2676*); 1:46-49 (CCC 2097*); 1:48 (CCC 148*, 971, 2676*); 1:49 (CCC 273, 2599, 2807*, 2827*); 1:50 (CCC 2465*); 1:54-55 (CCC 706*); 1:55 (CCC 422*)
Mary, the New Eve, assumed into Heaven (CCC 411*, 966-971, 974-975, 2853*)
Mary, an eschatological icon of the Church (CCC 773*, 829*, 967, 972*)
At prayer with Mary (CCC 2673*, 2674, 2675*, 2676*, 2777*, 2678-2679*)
For an in-depth study on the readings for the Vigil, see Assumption of Mary - Vigil.
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2015; revised 2024 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.