Archives
May 12, 2010
The Mysteries of Glory
The Resurrection
The Ascension of our Lord
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Assumption of our Lady into Heaven
The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
HOPE
Our Lady will give us a deeper understanding of hope through the five Mysteries of Glory.
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
John 20:2
THE Gospel of John tells us that just before Jesus made His last journey to Jerusalem, He gathered His disciples about Him and said plainly: “The Son of Man is to be abandoned into the hands of men. They are going to kill Him. Three days later He will rise again.” These last words which strike such a triumphant note were not understood by the disciples. “They were overcome with sorrow.” Their bitter grief proved their great love for Jesus, but it also proved their utter lack of hope in His glorious Easter victory over sin and death.
Christ’s Resurrection was not just a marvelous event. It drove despair out of the world. It was Christ’s way of promising that we too shall live forever.
II. THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD
“The Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven... they went forth and preached everywhere.”
Mark 16:19-20
WHEN Jesus returned to His friends on Easter day, some were too incredulous, others too broken-hearted, to recognize Him. Mary Magdalen, her sight blurred by tears, thought He was the gardener. Two disciples, meeting Him on the road to Emmaus, took Him for a stranger. When He appeared to the Apostles, they were terrified – “A ghost!” Yet on the day of His Ascension, when He left them, His disciples were filled with joy! They were beginning to understand God’s way of doing things and even Christ’s departure didn’t dampen their hopes for the future.
Jesus told His disciples that He must leave them so the Spirit could come. In times of trouble, remember we are not alone, the Spirit of God is with us.
III. THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And it happened that while they were conversing...Jesus drew near and walked with them.”
Luke 24:15
ON Easter day Jesus met two of His disciples near Emmaus. They did not recognize Him; so (perhaps with a twinkle in His eye) He asked, “What makes you so gloomy?” At once they poured out the whole heartbreaking story of their shattered hopes. “We had hoped that it was Jesus who would deliver Israel; but now...” and they shook their heads. Easter was a day of sorrow for the Apostles. Pentecost was quite another day. Then Jesus, having ascended to heaven, sent the Holy Spirit upon His disciples in the form of tongues of fire. Immediately they went forth to preach Jesus Christ – with fiery tongues.
The Apostles, convinced of their own hopelessness, learned from the Holy Spirit to hope in Christ. Humility is the mother of perfect hope.
IV. THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY INTO HEAVEN
“Mary, preserved free from all stains of original sin, when the source of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory.”
Pius XII Munificentissimus Deus (1950)
FROM the moment of His conception in Mary’s womb, Jesus knew His Father. He would live a very down-to-earth life, and would need the hope that only God can offer. Mary’s hope, then, is a most perfect share in the hope of Jesus.
The Church calls Mary the Mother of Sacred Hope. She is the most exalted model of perfect confidence in God. Hail Holy Queen, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! After this, our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of your womb, Jesus.
V. THE CORONATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“There, ‘in the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity,’ in the communion of all the saints, the Church is awaited by the one she venerates as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother.”
Catechism No. 972
AT her Immaculate Conception, Mary’s soul was endowed with an intense degree of Hope; but the full perfection of that Hope was crowned in heaven only after a lifetime of trials. Her Hope, like all her virtues and perfections, centered around her trust in God. Jesus was the object of her Faith – her Baby, her Boy, her Son. Jesus was the object of her Love. God was the object of her perfect Hope. As she stood near Jesus on Calvary – He with a lance in His side, she with a sword in her soul – only her boundless trust in God kept her from dying of sorrow.
While there’s hope, there’s life. Mary was hopeful, even on Calvary, because she saw God’s will in everything. Hopefulness is a virtue God expects of me.