“Assumpta est Maria in coelum: gaudent angeli! —God has taken Mary —body and soul— to Heaven: and the Angels rejoice!
“So sings the Church. —And so, with that same outburst of joy, do we begin our contemplation in this decade of the Holy Rosary:
“The Mother of God has fallen asleep. —Around her bed are the twelve Apostles. —Matthias in the place of Judas.
“And we, through a grace respected by all, are also at her side.
“But Jesus wants to have His Mother, body and soul, in Heaven. —And the heavenly Court, arrayed in all its splendour, hails Our Lady. —You and I —children after all— take the train of Mary's magnificent blue cloak, and so we can watch the marvellous scene.
“The most Blessed Trinity receives and showers honours on the Daughter, Mother, and Spouse of God... —And so great is Our Lady's majesty that the Angels exclaim: Who is she?”
Holy Rosary, 14
“‘Mary has been taken up to heaven by God in body and soul, and the angels rejoice.’ Joy overtakes both angels and men. Why is it that we feel today this intimate delight, with our heart brimming over, with our soul full of peace? Because we are celebrating the glorification of our mother, and it is only natural that we her children rejoice in a special way upon seeing how the most Blessed Trinity honours her.”
“It was on Calvary that Christ, her most blessed Son and our brother, gave her to us as our mother, when he said to St John: ‘Behold your mother.’ And we received her, along with the beloved disciple, in that moment of supreme grief. The blessed Virgin embraced us in her suffering, as the ancient prophecy was fulfilled: ‘And a sword shall pierce your own soul.’ We are all her children, she is the Mother of all mankind. And now, the whole human race commemorates her ineffable assumption. Mary is welcomed to heaven: the Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son, Spouse of God the Holy Spirit. Greater than she no one but God.”
Christ is passing by, 171
“The feast of the assumption of our Lady prompts us to acknowledge the basis for this joyful hope. Yes, we are still pilgrims, but our mother has gone on ahead, where she points to the reward of our efforts. She tells us that we can make it. And, if we are faithful, we will reach home. The blessed Virgin is not only our model, she is the help of Christians. And as we besiege her with our petitions — ‘Show that you are our Mother’ — she cannot help but watch over her children with motherly care.”
Christ is passing by, 177
“When the apostles fled, and the enraged mob made themselves hoarse shouting angrily at Jesus, the Holy Virgin Mary followed close behind her Son through the streets of Jerusalem. She did not draw back when the crowd cried out, nor did she leave Our Redeemer alone when each person, anonymous in that crowd, was in his cowardice emboldened to ill-treat Christ.
“Call upon her with all your strength: Virgo fidelis!, Virgin most faithful!, and ask her that those of us who call ourselves God's friends may truly be so at all times.”
Furrow, 51