"The work of the Church)...is to build the Kingdom of God, to bring more and more people into the friendship of Christ"

The Woman Clothed with the Sun

Titus Flavius Domitianus, known to history as Domitian, became emperor of Rome in A.D. 81. He was the first emperor to proclaim himself divine and denounced any faith that denied his godhood.

This led to one of the first and most brutal persecutions against the Christians. Christians were martyred or banished without recourse. John, the author of the Book of Revelation, or The Apocalypse, was one of those banished. He was sent to a Roman penal colony on the island of Patmos. It was there he received a vision which has come down to us as the last book of the Bible.

It is in this context that we must understand the Book of the Revelation of Saint John. He is writing to a persecuted Church, a Church that is under attack. The tone of the book is of the ultimate victory of Christ over His enemies. Good will triumph over evil, sin and death will be no more and the blood of the martyrs will be justified.

With this in mind, on this, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church presents us a reading from the Book of Revelation.

“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Rev. 12:1

The woman appears in the midst of this great battle between Good and evil. She has been variously interpreted as an allegory for ancient Israel, the Church, and the Blessed Virgin. But our faith is a faith of “both/and” rather than “either/or.” In the allegorical sense she is all three. Israel of old gives birth to the Messiah and becomes the New Israel, the Church, Mary, then represents both.

On the cross Christ entrusted His Church to His Mother. Mary has walked the path we all must follow, from earth to Heaven. All those who have passed from this life and gained Heaven are separated from their physical bodies, awaiting the final judgment. But Mary received the grace to be body and soul in Heaven. Jesus ascended to Heaven in glory, His mother was assumed.into Heaven.

In the Book of Revelation the justified are clothed in white, but Mary is clothed in the sun, embraced by Christ, the sun of righteousness. In ancient times the queen was not the bride of the king, who may have had many wives. The queen of ancient Israel was the mother of the king. The moon lies at the feet of the Queen of Heaven crowned by twelve stars which represent both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.

The dragon, that great serpent, the devil, may sweep the stars from Heaven but it powerless against the Mother of God, destined to become the mother of the Redeemer and the mother all Christians.

The Assumption

We live in the time of the Kingdom of God, a spiritual kingdom far greater than the earthly kingdoms of old. It will achieve its full glory in the world to come, when the Son, having defeated the last enemy, death, hands His kingdom over to His Father. The Assumption reminds us of that victory that is to come.

Christians have always seen Mary as an image of the entire Church and a guide for us to follow. But we frequently forget the strength of spirit she showed in her life here in the physical world. When she gave her “fiat” her acceptance of God's plan she first had to contend with Joseph who considered quietly divorcing her. Then there was the flight into Egypt, her house, home, and infant son disrupted in the middle of the night, fleeing to a foreign land on a moments notice. And then, 30 years of silence in Nazareth, as she contemplated within her heart, all she had experienced. Finally those three years, watching people reject her son's message, the horrors of Calvary, and then the great commission, to be mother to the apostles, and to the whole Church.

She continues that mission in Heaven, body and soul, showing us a vision of what is to come if we work and have faith.

The Work of the Church

What is the work of the Church? Why are we here? It is to build the Kingdom of God, to bring more and more people into the friendship of Christ. Or as you may recall the way Tom Monaghan put it, “to get to heaven and to drag as many people along with me as possible.”

But what happens when we accomplish that goal? What happens to us, the Church when we have reached our objective? The Solemnity of the Assumption gives us the answer.

Mary is intimately linked to Jesus and shares in His life and ministry. As members of His Mystical Body, we do the same. Like Mary, the Church brings Christ into the world through our many charities and apostolates but especially through the sacrament of Baptism. Through magisterial teaching and the administration of the sacraments we continue to care for and accompany our members as they grow to spiritual maturity and find their own missions.

Just as God assumed Mary into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly mission so too will God bring His Church into perfect communion with Him at the end of all things.

We have God’s promise, the example of Mary. The Blessed Mother is a pattern for us to follow. And every Christian who follows Mary’s path of humility and faith, will follow her into joy of the master’s house.

Pax Vobiscum
The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com

Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary visions of sacred art. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Purchase fine art prints of Deacon Lawrence’s work here.