The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2024Psalm 34; Sirach 24:7-8, 10-15a; Galatians 4:4-7St. Luke 1:39-55
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Blessed is she who believed, for there
will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”[1]
What are those things which were told to Mary from the Lord?
Mary is told to rejoice for the Lord is
with her.[2]
This is fulfilled from the moment of her conception, when she was born in the
faithful anticipation that God would come to save His people. God is with her
all the days of her life. It is fulfilled again when that same Lord is
incarnate in her very womb. God is with her intimately as He grows in her womb,
soon to be born a man. The Lord is with her as she watches Him be crucified. He
is with her when He rises from the dead. He is with her even as she lay dying,
some 15 years after His ascension.
Mary is also called blessed among women.
This is fulfilled already during the ministry of our Lord, when a woman in the
crowd cries out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which
nursed You!”[3]
It is fulfilled again tonight and every time a Christian refers to her as the
Blessed Virgin Mary. And it is true. Mary truly is blessed among women. Not
only is she blessed with faith, but she alone was granted the holy privilege of
carrying the Christ in her womb. She alone beheld the Word by which creation
was made within her own body.
One of the greatest of things told to Mary
by the Lord is that she would be the mother of God. She would bear the Son of
God and call His name, Jesus.[4]
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is true God, begotten of the Father before all worlds
and true man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the Incarnation, His
humanity and divinity cannot be divided. He is one Person, although with two
natures. Because of this, it is fitting and correct to call Mary the mother of
God.
Perhaps the greatest thing said to Mary is that this Son of God and Son of Mary would inherit the throne of David and that He would reign forever.[5] Her Son would be David’s Son and David’s Lord, the everlasting Prince of Peace, the Savior.[6] Mary was told by God that her Son would save her from her sins.[7] That He would go before her to prepare a place for her to rest for all eternity.[8] That He would reconcile her to His heavenly Father, making peace where sin once made for enmity.
I say this is the greatest thing because
when you think of all the things Mary heard regarding her Son, this might seem
like the least of things. It was accomplished by death. There is no physical
sign, per se, that it was accomplished. And yet, it is the entire purpose of
the Scriptures and the Incarnation. The salvation of Mary and all who believe
is the reason God became man. And if there is anything we are to learn from
Mary, it is that God chooses the lowly to be exalted. Jesus was born in a
cattle stall, not a grand palace. He was born to a virgin girl, not a queen or empress.
He made Himself lower than the animals for the sake of His beloved mankind.
The same is true for you. Just as Mary
was promised that everything said to her by the Lord would be fulfilled, so
too, those things the Lord has said to you have been, are, and will be
fulfilled. In your Holy Baptism, Jesus declared that you are righteous. You
have been born again into Christ. He said that you are a son or daughter of the
Father. Your sins have been washed away and He prepares a place for you in the
heavenly mansions. This is most certainly true.
Why come to church on a Thursday
evening to celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary? Because she is the sign, the
image, of Christ’s church. Jesus was alive in her womb. He sought a resting
place, a dwelling among His people.[9]
Her body was His holy temple, just as you are the Holy Temple of the Holy
Spirit. If you have been born again through the waters of Holy Baptism into
Christ, then you too, have been born into His holy habitation.
For centuries, Christians have looked
at Mary as the mother of all Christians. That doesn’t mean we worship her or
elevate her to some “demi-goddess” status. No. She is our adoptive mother just
as the Church is our mother. The Church is our mother because she is the place
where we are given new birth. We ought to love and respect Mary because she was
a lowly virgin who placed all her hope and trust in her Son, the same Son of
God that we worship. She is an example of faith and an example of one for whom
Jesus died. And just like you might celebrate the birthday of your beloved
mother or grandmother who has died, for the sake of her memory, we too
celebrate the death of Mary for the sake of honor.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
[1]
St. Luke 1:45.
[2]
St. Luke 1:28.
[3]
St. Luke 11:27.
[4]
St. Luke 1:31.
[5]
St. Luke 1:32-33.
[6]
Psalm 110; Isaiah 9:6.
[7]
Genesis 3:15.
[8]
St. John 14:3-10.
[9]
Sirach 24:7-15.
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