ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL ME BLESSED

 A SERMON FOR THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Last Sunday we took a look at two men standing in the temple, one a proud and arrogant Pharisee, boasting what a good and holy man he was, the other a humble and repentant Publican, striking his breast as he acknowledges himself to be a miserable sinner.  Today, we find ourselves in the presence of a third category of human being, one which is unique in her nature.  She was neither proud of her goodness, nor did she need to ashamed of her misdeeds.  Of all the humans ever born of man, only this one was completely sinless.  Sinless from her conception, her Immaculate Conception, and sinless throughout an entire lifetime dedicated to God.  God, her heavenly Father, and God her heavenly Son.

So that the Word may become Flesh and dwell amongst us, this Woman was raised above all other creatures.  Even above the angels themselves, some of whom had a hard time with this concept, and rebelled against God’s plan.  But this Woman would be raised all the higher, to defeat Satan and crush the evil serpent beneath her heel.  Queen of angels, Queen of earth, and with her Assumption today, Queen of heaven also.  A mortal woman raised to be the purest of creatures, higher than angels, apostles, prophets and martyrs, her soul perfect, immaculate and spotless.

Let’s place her for a moment side by side with the Pharisee and the Publican we met in last Sunday’s Gospel.  She is sinless and yet she does not behave like the arrogant Pharisee.  She does not thank God that she is not like other men—better than the extortioners, adulterers, and the other sinners of this earth.  She does not feel the urge to point out to us or to God that she is without sin, that her soul shines bright like the morning sun.  There is no hint of pride in her, no inclination to rejoice in her perfection.
Nor, obviously, does she feel the remorse of the Publican.  How can she?  She has no sins for which to be sorry, nothing that she should repent having done.   She is perfect, but does not take pride in her perfection.  Even though she holds a place higher than all other creatures, she remains as humble as the sinful Publican.

In the case of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, she merely acknowledges with awe that her soul doth magnify the Lord.  In other words, she humbly recognizes that, despite her lack of imperfections, she is still merely human and a pale reflection of the infinite goodness and beauty of God.  Her soul reflects his beauty, and she knows that, without his divine Light, she would be nothing.  “My spirit,” she says, “hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”  She deflects all the praise away from herself and gives it to God instead.  “For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden, he that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy is his Name.”

She does not speak of her own perfections, instead, pointing out to us God’s mercy and loving-kindness to us, his children.  His children are her children, and she shares his caring love towards us.  But it is never about herself, always about God: “His mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.”  She does not say that God has exalted her, but that “he hath exalted the humble and meek.”  She is awestruck that she has been chosen as the instrument of God’s plan to help his servant Israel “as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.”  This humble daughter of Abraham was exalted by the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity himself.  He, who was so much higher than she, exalted her above his own human nature by allowing himself to be confined within her body for nine months, by subjecting himself to her and St. Joseph in Nazareth, by obeying her and performing his first public miracle at her request.   

Such exaltation of a creature had never taken place before this, nor ever shall be again.  And we marvel at the response of Our Blessed Lady to these great privileges.  We can almost hear the gasp of awestruck wonder in her voice as she recognizes that “from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”  And so we do, we call her our Blessed Mother, we hail the Blessed Virgin Mary as did her cousin Elisabeth at the Visitation when she exclaimed “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

We can’t help but look with broken hearts upon the generations of Protestants, who in spite of their devoted attachment to Holy Scripture, fail to follow the word of God as prophesied by this humble handmaid, and refuse in their ignorance to call the Mother of Jesus “blessed.”  In this our day, let us repeat again and again in reparation for the sins of man, and especially the blasphemies spoken against God’s holy Mother, the holy words of Scripture, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou amongst women.”  Today’s great festival of Marymas, the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady into heaven, marks the final privilege, the last and ultimate exaltation of the humble maid of Nazareth, as she is raised body and soul into the sight of God, there to receive her crowning glory as Queen of Heaven and Earth.  “Hail, holy Queen.”