The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary invites us, once again this year, to lift our gaze towards heaven whilst keeping our feet firmly on the ground. In Mary, our Mother, we contemplate the promise of eternal life, secure in the knowledge that God’s love is capable of overcoming suffering, loneliness and even death. For this reason, her Assumption reminds us that every life given up for love finds its fulfilment in God.
In our congregation, we always bear in mind the example of Mary as a model of readiness, trust, service and hope. She teaches us to stand by those who most need comfort, accompanying with tenderness and love the elderly who are experiencing the frailty of old age, and caring lovingly for the children who find in our canteens a place where they can be educated and nourished in body and soul every day.
Throughout her earthly life, Mary did not seek the limelight, but was sustained, with simplicity and discretion, by a constant and sincere ‘Yes’ that changed the course of history. This spirit continues to inspire our charism today, inherited from our foundress, Saint Genoveva Torres, bringing Christ’s consolation to those places where loneliness and suffering seem to have the final say.
Likewise, the Assumption of Mary reminds us that our hope as Christians is not merely an abstract idea, but also a concrete way of living in the present. In a world marked by haste, selfishness, individualism and so much poverty and material and spiritual inequality, Mary continues to show us the path of complete trust. She invites us to carry on working, welcoming, loving and supporting others with dignity, bringing God to them through simple gestures that are nonetheless filled with His love.
Therefore, today, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, we join the universal Church in celebrating this great solemnity, giving thanks to God for the maternal gift of Mary, not only in our lives but also in our mission.
May she continue to guide us and help us always to say ‘Yes’ to God’s will.