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Blessed Mary lived, cared for by St. John, for twelve years after Our Lord’s Resurrection. Her life was spent in helping the Apostles and in praying for the conversion of the world. On the third day after Mary’s death, when the Apostles gathered around her tomb, they found it empty.
Today’s ✠Challoner Meditation
As early as the Seventh Century the preparation, by a solemn fast, for keeping devoutly the great festival of the Dormition of the Mother of God (aka The Assumption), is described as a custom of great antiquity.
It is said in the Old Testament that God guided His people from Egypt to the Land of Promise, by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire (Exod. xiii. 21). This stupendous pillar, at one time as a cloud, at another as fire, says Richard of St. Laurence, was a figure of Mary fulfilling the double office she constantly exercises for our good: as a cloud she protects us from the ardour of Divine justice; and as fire she protects us from the devils. “Behold the twofold object for which Mary is given to us; as a cloud, to shelter us from the heat of the sun of justice, and, as fire, to protect us all against the devil.
The death of Mary is now at hand. Divine Love, with its vehement and blessed flames, had almost entirely consumed her, and the heavenly phoenix is already losing her life in the midst of this fire. Wrapped in the flames of Divine love, and in the midst of her sighs of love, Mary gave a last sigh of still more ardent love of God, and breathing forth her soul, expired.
In Judea victories were gained by means of the ark. Thus it was that Moses conquered his enemies, as we learn from the Book of Numbers. And when the ark was lifted up, Moses said: Arise, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered (Num. x. 35). Thus was Jericho conquered; thus also the Philistines; for the Ark of God was there (1 Kings xiv. 18). It is well known that this ark was a figure of Mary. Cornelius a Lapide says, “In time of danger Christians should fly to the most Blessed Virgin, who contained Christ as manna in the ark of her womb, and brought Him forth to be the food and salvation of the world.”
The Heart of Jesus is all pure, all holy, all full of love towards God and towards us. Every perfection, every virtue reigns in this Heart. This is the Heart in which God Himself finds all His delight. O amiable Heart of Jesus, Thou dost well deserve the love of all hearts.
Beautiful is the explanation given by Richard St. Laurence of the following words of the Book Proverbs: The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and he shall have no need of spoils (Prov. xxxi. 11). He says, applying them to Jesus and Mary: “The heart of her Spouse, that is Christ, trusteth in her, and He shall have no need of spoils; for she endows Him with those whom by her prayers, merits, and example, she snatches from the devil.” “God has entrusted the Heart of Jesus to the hands of Mary, that she may insure it the love of men,” says Cornelius a Lapide; and thus He will not need spoils; that is, He will be abudantly supplied with souls; for she enriches Him with those whom she has snatched from hell, and saved from the devil by her powerful assistance.
Who can form an idea of the tears and lamentations of the holy Disciples when holy Mary told them she was about to leave them, and they were to be separated from their Mother! But the Blessed Virgin consoled them by saying: “My children, I do not leave you to abandon you, but to help you still more in Heaven. Be at peace! One day we shall meet again in Paradise never to be separated for all eternity.”
The Most Blessed Virgin is not only Queen of Heaven and of all Saints, but she is also Queen of hell and of all evil spirits; for she overcame them valiantly by her virtues. From the very beginning God foretold the victory and empire our Queen would one day obtain over the serpent, when He announced that a woman should come into the world to conquer him: I will put enmities between thee and the woman … she shall crush thy head (Gen. iii. 15).