THERE can be no doubt whatever that Our Lord fulfilled towards Mary
the precept which He gave in general to all children to honour their
parents. Indeed, where is the son who would not raise his mother from
the grave to lead her to Paradise, if he had it in his power? The
great triumph of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is celebrated by
all the Saints, and by the whole Church Militant.
After the Ark of the Covenant had dwelt for a long period under tents
and pavilions, King Solomon ordered it to be placed in the marvellous
Temple he had prepared for it. The joy of the Hebrews on that occasion
was so great that the blood of the sacrifices flowed through the
streets of Jerusalem; the air was filled with clouds of incense, and
the houses and public squares resounded with harmonious music.
But, O God! if the solemnity of the reception of the Ark was so great,
what must have been that of the Most Glorious Virgin, Mother of the
Son of God, the true Ark of the New Covenant, upon the day of her
Assumption! O incomprehensible joy! festival of wonders! which makes
all devout souls who are the true daughters of Jerusalem, exclaim:
'Who is she that goeth up from the desert leaning upon her Beloved?'
The entrance of the Most Blessed Virgin into heaven was the most
magnificent that ever could or can be witnessed after that of Jesus
Christ. She ascends from the desert of this lower world, so perfumed
with spiritual gifts that, except in the Person of her Divine Son, she
has no equal in heaven. The Queen of Saba, coming to Jerusalem to have
a proof of the wisdom of Solomon, brought with her a great quantity of
perfumes, gold, and precious stones. But, when the Most Holy Virgin
entered heaven, she carried with her such an amount of the pure gold
of charity, so much perfume of devotion and of virtue, and so many
precious gems of patience and of suffering, that we can safely say no
one ever had so great an accumulation of merits to offer her Divine
Son! Yes, indeed, she abounded in delights, because during her life on
earth she had abounded in good works and in sufferings.
We may say that, in one sense, the Assumption of Our Lady was even
more glorious than the Ascension of Jesus Christ; because the Angels
only were present at the Ascension, whilst at the Assumption of Our
Lady the King of Angels Himself attended her.
What a triumph was it for Heaven, and what a consolation for earth!
Ah, let us in spirit dwell and live in heaven, because there is our
treasure and our life. O my God! how beautiful is heaven now that its
sun is Our Blessed Saviour, and His bosom is the Source of Love, where
the Blessed drink and quench their thirst! If we look up there, we
shall see our names written in characters of Love, which can be read
only by Love, and engraved only by Love. O God! and will my name also
be there? Let me trust so; because although my heart burns not with
ardent Charity, it has, however, its desire and its principle, and
bears written upon it the Sacred Name of Jesus, which I hope nothing
will be able to cancel. O what a joy for us when we shall see those
characters denoting our eternal happiness! As for me, although those
eternal blessings occupy all my desires and affections, yet all
Paradise would be nothing to me if I did not find there the
never-ending Love of the Eternal God, Who lives and reigns for ever
and ever.
Let us bear in mind that Jesus Christ looks upon us from heaven, and
sweetly invites us to come and enjoy the delights of His goodness and
the abundance of His love. The Most Holy Virgin also invites us as a
Mother, saying to each of us: 'Courage, my child; despise not the
ardent desires of my Son, and my sighs and petitions for thy
salvation.' And yet, how often have we not preferred the miserable
vanities and bitter pleasures of earth to those incomparable joys! Ah,
faithful souls; let us henceforth accept the favours which the Most
Holy Virgin and the Saints offer us. Let us promise them to walk
quickly on towards heaven; and let us take hold of the hand of our
good Angel-guardian, that we may never again stumble, but happily
reach the gates of a blessed eternity.