杏MAP导航

By Robin Gomes

杏MAP导航 Francis on Saturday invited Christians to thank and praise God for the good that He has done in our life just as the Virgin did in the Magnificat, which became the source of her joy.

杏MAP导航 Francis made the exhortation at the midday 鈥淎ngelus鈥� prayer in Rome鈥檚 St. Peter鈥檚 Square, on the day the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven.

The dogma of faith that 杏MAP导航 Pius XII proclaimed on November 1, 1950, asserts that the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory".  杏MAP导航 Francis said that the Assumption shines 鈥渁s a sign of sure hope and solace to the People of God during its sojourn on earth鈥�, as the Second Vatican Council puts it.

Assumption: with God nothing is lost 

Addressing a holiday crowd from the window of his studio overlooking the square, the 杏MAP导航 said that in Mary鈥檚 Assumption into Heaven, we celebrate an infinitely greater conquest than the 鈥済iant step for mankind鈥� when man first set foot on the moon.   When the lowly Virgin of Nazareth set foot in paradise, body and spirit, he said, it was 鈥渢he huge leap forward for humanity鈥�.

This, the 杏MAP导航 said, gives us hope that 鈥渨e are precious, destined to rise again鈥�. 鈥淕od does not allow our bodies to vanish into nothing. With God, nothing is lost!鈥�

Mary鈥檚 lowliness magnifies God goodness

Mary's advice to us, the Holy Father said, lies in her song, the 鈥淢agnificat鈥� 鈥� 鈥淢y soul magnifies the Lord鈥�.   鈥淢ary 鈥榓ggrandizes鈥� the Lord: not problems, which she did not lack at the time,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 explained. She does not allow herself to be 鈥渙verwhelmed by difficulties and absorbed by fears鈥�.  Rather, she puts God as the first greatness of life, which becomes the source of her Magnificat.  Her joy is born 鈥渘ot from the absence of problems, which come sooner or later, but from God鈥檚 presence鈥�, because He is great and he looks on the lowly ones.  鈥淲e,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 stressed, 鈥渁re the weakness of His love.鈥�

Mary, the 杏MAP导航 continued, acknowledges that she is small and exalts the 鈥済reat things鈥� that the Lord has done for her. She is grateful for the gift of life, she is a virgin yet she becomes pregnant, and Elizabeth, too, who was elderly, is expecting a child.  The 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渢he Lord works wonders with those who are lowly 鈥�, who give ample space to God in their life鈥�, for which Mary praises God.

Forgetting the good shrinks the heart

杏MAP导航 Francis thus invited all to ask ourselves, whether we, like Mary, praise and thank God for the good things He does for us, for His love, forgiveness, tenderness and for giving us His Mother and our brothers and sisters.

鈥淚f we forget the good,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 warned, 鈥渢he heart shrinks.鈥�  鈥淏ut if, like Mary, we remember the great things that the Lord does, if at least once a day we were to 鈥渕agnify鈥� Him, then our hearts will expand and our joy will increase.