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Homily by the Most Reverend Patrick C. Pinder, S.T.D. on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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August 15, 2023Readings
Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10abPsalm 45I Corinthians 15:20-27Luke 1:39-56
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour."(Luke 1:46-47)These words, from early in the Gospel of Luke, are ours today as we celebrate this Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.The event described is the Visitation. Mary, having been informed by the Angel Gabriel that she is to conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit, set out to visit her older cousin Elizabeth who will soon give birth to John the Baptist.The event contains so much for us to take in. It is, as it were, the first encounter between Jesus and John the Baptist, both still unborn.Elizabeth addressing Mary, for example, gives us the second line of the hail Mary prayer: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb."Mary responds with her great prayer: The Magnificat. It is a fixture within the Divine Office in the Evening Prayer of the Church. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord..." she begins.The Church puts these words before us on this Solemnity of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary to remind us of a belief held from the earliest times. The Gospel of John tells us that: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John1:14) Mary is the human instrument through whom the Word became Flesh.Her place in our story, the story of our salvation, is beyond equal. In speaking of her, we speak of her Immaculate Conception which prepares the way for the Virgin Birth of the Word Made Flesh. Then we speak of her Bodily Assumption into Heaven. These are all aspects of that central teaching of our faith, the Incarnation. The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. In other words, God who is infinitely distant from us became intimately close to us, so close that he shared our human nature and our human condition a man like us in all things but sin.You have heard it said that in the Incarnation, the Infinite took the form of an infant.The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary also points us to the Creed where we say that we believe in the resurrection of the body.Yes, this Feast contains so much for us to take in.Those opening words of the Magnificat resonate very well with me today.43 years ago today, I was ordained a Priest at Our Lady's Church. Thinking back to that day, I wonder where the time went.The Catholic Faith entered my family through my maternal grandmother. She first encountered the faith through the early Benedictine Missionaries at Mangrove Cay, Andros when she was a young teenager.She had little, if any, formal education. Yet, she had an instinctive grasp of the spiritual treasure which is our faith. She never wavered in that. I am deeply convinced that there is a direct connection between her embrace of the faith and my vocation. The Lord does work in mysterious ways.Today I wish to recall Fr. Elias Achatz, O.S.B. He took my vocation seriously and introduced me to Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty, O.S.B. a man of enormous grace and generosity. He served as our Bishop for 30 years.Those opening words of the Magnificat resonate with me today as I recall that 20 years ago today, I was ordained a Bishop. The events of that day are even more vivid in my memory and again I ponder: where did the time go?Inside the back cover of the program printed for this Liturgy is a photograph of me. It's a nice photograph. I rather like it. But that was me 20 years ago! This is me now! Time passes and not without leaving behind evidence of it passing.Let us remember with gratitude my immediate predecessor, Archbishop Lawrence Alysious Burke, S.J. He gave us 22 years of excellent leadership and example as our shepherd and leader in the faith.I recall with gratitude Msgr. Preston Moss who served as my first Vicar General.My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord for it is the greatness of the Lord which has done so many marvelous things in the life of our Archdiocese, especially over these past decades. And in my life too!Whenever we gather to celebrate the Eucharist one thing we do is pray for the Bishop during the Eucharistic Prayer. We pray for him by name. For the many times that you have made that prayer for me and held my intention in your heart, please know that I am most grateful, most profoundly appreciative.The Episcopal Office and the responsibilities attached to it are many and they can be burdensome. However, the cooperation, the support, the encouragement and all the other ways of accompaniment which you the faithful provide, they lighten the load considerably.What is accomplished, what is achieved, we accomplish and achieve together.So then, on this great feast of the Blessed Mother, we can all pray her prayer with hearts full of gratitude and hope. Let it be known, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant...."Amen!