I’ve reflected on this special feast several times in the past. I feel the same, perhaps even more about this feast today. I still believe this feast is about the saving power of Jesus’ death, resurrection and gift of the Spirit, especially as it relates to our Roman Catholic enthusiasm and affection for Mary.
I think one of the riches of the Christian spirit is to find every human, natural, tangible, emotional means available to support our faith. Down through history, as the form of the celebration of the Eucharist became more and more “distant” or “transcendent,” I think the people used a variety of devotions to achieve intimacy with our Lord. I believe that the Spirit keeps finding ways to inspire us with desires for intimacy with our God. I know, and in some cases, felt close to the mothers of my best friends. It’s easy for me to feel close to the mother of Jesus.
One of the very real human scenes that is wonderful to imagine is that time in the life of the early community, when Mary died. [It’s captured in many pieces of art.] I have been at the deathbed of my parents, a number of close Jesuit fiends, several parishioners, a number of very close relatives, and I have a deep sense of what it is to say “farewell” to a loved one. Just imagine what a special person Mary was. Not only did she receive the extraordinary gift of conceiving and giving birth to Jesus, but she also raised him, and followed his public life. And she was there at the foot of the cross, experienced him as alive in a new way, and was there on the day of Pentecost. Imagine the words exchanged between Mary and whatever disciples were around her as she approached her death. I remember vividly how my family caressed the body of my father and mother after they died. I can only imagine the very special devotion her friends and care givers had for her very special body at the time of her death.
As we reflect upon the meaning of the resurrection for us - as we do every time we celebrate a funeral - we are brought into the mystery of what happens to us after we die, after there is no more life in the body, when we pass into eternity and time is irrelevant. How does Christ’s victory over sin and death touch and transform our mortal bodies? Part of why we pray for those who have died is to pray for God’s mercy on our loved ones, in the faith-filled hope that God will forgive their sins and that “the angels will carry them to paradise.” I imagine that it was easy for believers down through the centuries to be certain that Mary, of all people on this earth, the one “full of grace,” would be the first to be carried home to the loving embrace of God. [That, too, was the subject of many pieces of art.] “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, #966]
Dear Lord, help us to live our lives with true hope in your gift of eternal life. Take away our fears, comfort us in the trials and crosses of our daily life. Help us to imagine the joy of a great reunion at the Banquet of Heaven. And, please, let our anticipation of that joy free us from the worries and anxieties we face today. Let Mary assist us and guide us on our path to that life in you.
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 our death.
Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ
Co-founder of Creighton’s Online Ministries, Retired 2025
I served at Creighton from 1996 to 2025. I served as Vice-president for Mission for three Presidents, directed the Collaborative Ministry Office and co-founded the Online Ministries website.
I loved seeing the number of faculty and staff who over the years really took up the mission as their own and made Creighton the Jesuit university it is today. I was also consoled to witness the website – a collaborative effort - touch the hearts of so many around the world.
I’m now living at St. Camillus – a Jesuit care facility in Milwaukee. Many of my days are spent dealing with my own health issues, as I carry out the mission we’ve been given, “to pray for the Church and the Society of Jesus.”
