Sermon for the Day of the Assumption

Lesson from the book of Judith
Judith 13:22-25; 15:10
The Lord has blessed you by His power, because by you He has brought our enemies to nought. Blessed are you, O daughter, by the Lord the Most High God, above all women upon the earth. Blessed be the Lord Who made heaven and earth, Who has directed you to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies, because He has so magnified your name this day, that your praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men, who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord forever; for you have not spared your life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of your people, but have prevented our ruin in the presence of our God. You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honor of our people.

Continuation ✠ of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke
Luke 1:41-50
At that time, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how have I deserved that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid; for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; because He Who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name; and His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.

Homily by Fr. Zepeda

In the deep Seas, there are areas where the bottom sinks into great unknowns. They are called Sea Pits. We do not know what lies under them, and for many years they were shrouded in Mistery. We thought there was nothing in there, the pressure of the Sea is so great, that life, could not exist there. Only recently, have we come to find out that miles under the oceans, there are many things in there, even beautiful forms of life, which we could have never fathomed. Yet most of what lies in there remains a mystery to us.

Of these Pits, the deepest one is called “Marian Abyss”. it goes down for over 13 miles into the bottom.

I find this name to be fitting, and inspiring for our meditations on Our Lady, for truly, when we consider the Virgin Mary, we are immersed into an abyss. Well beyond our comprehension, we may glance at the beginnings of it, but we will never reach its end.

The same was for the Angels.

On this day my dear Faithful, Heaven saw a moment that had been expected since the beginning of Creation. The Entrance into the Kingdom of God, of the Creature that was destined to be the Mother of God.

The Angels and the Saints all watch in expectation, and, as a wonder of nature is witnessed with awe, and surprise, and wonderment by men, because of its power, its beauty, its peculiarity, so it was for the Angels to see the Virgin Mary being assumed into heaven.

Imagine this moment. When the Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim, together with all the higher creatures in the heavens, look towards earth in expectation. Imagine the moment when they saw a humble woman coming forth from the earth, just a human being a few moments ago. And See with them, that moment in which the Glory of her Soul took over Her Body, Imagine How they see the Virgin Mary Ascending into Heaven, and as she entered the blessed Kingdom, becoming a beacon of light, more resplendent than the highest angel, lower only to Christ Himself.

Behold that moment when the Angels watch in deep veneration, a creature lower than them in nature, become suddenly so Glorious, that if the Angels had not known her before, they would hesitate to know who this was: And so they say in today’s liturgy: Quis es Ista? Who is this?

Higher than the Angels, yet lower than God. Beyond our comprehension, yet not eternal. Filled with goodness and love, so filled with goodness and love that, we cannot find a measure or a limit to it. The Love of all the Angels and all the Saints seems to fit in her heart, and yet there is still room. The Charity and Goodness that we have seen since the beginning of creation, seems to be but the beginning of her kindness. It is an Abyss, which we cannot measure, and yet we know, That great as She may be, Yet She is not Eternal.

See with me, my dear friends, with the eyes of your soul, that great triumph, where all the members of heaven are involved. To all of them, She is also a Mother, and so, no one could be indifferent (if such thing was possible) On This Day. Hear with the hears of your soul the hymns and songs which are sung by millions of voices in heaven, hear that “Hail Mary” which we humbly recite on earth, become the main theme of the day in Heaven.

What a Majestic Procession that must have been! What garments were given to the Soul and Body of the Mother of God, to Dress Herself with the Purity of Her Heart, with the Whiteness of her Humility, with the Red of Her Ardent Love! Imagine how many things were discovered in the Soul of the Virgin Mary, How many trials, pains, sorrows, battles, virtues, that had been hidden until then, and will only be seen in Heaven!

But the Procession seems to Stop. The Choirs go into silence. From the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, which shines all throughout heaven without distinction, comes the Sun of Justice. The Prince of Peace, and Son of God.

Here comes Jesus Christ, the King and Center of all creation, The Eternal Wisdom, the Absolute Power of God, the Redeemer, Lamb, and King. Here he comes, and the processions become silent and expectant.

But before we proceed: Let me come back here, to our Church, and let us ask ourselves: Are we dreaming? Is this just a fairytale? Am I just rambling on, with fictions, such as we see in movies, or T.V.?

It disgusts the soul, my dear friends, even to make such a comparison, but I do, because these things are not dreams. They are a reality, which is given to me by my faith.

Yes! It is not yet mine to see that moment when our Blessed Mother and Her Son, Our Lord, and King Jesus Christ Met in Heaven. I am barred by this valley of tears. But In the darkness of this life, I have my faith as a light to tell me what has happened, to tell me that these things are true. That today, even if I didn’t see it, even if I wasn’t there, truly today the whole creation rejoiced, for today that Blessed Woman, The Mother of God, who is also our Mother, and a Christian and Catholic as we are, Today She entered heaven, and became who She is now: The Queen of all the Universe.

And I wonder If I am able to join myself to that blessed procession. I wonder If I can call myself her son, and her loyal subject. I wonder If, my sins have not cast me away from this group, from her followers. But whether if I am worthy or not, I come in the back, in the very back of the procession, and I join myself. Unworthy though I be. I may not deserve to love her, but I do.

And Today, On this beautiful day, I Rejoice, as My Mother the Church teaches me: For the Virgin Mary ascended into Heaven, She Reigns with Christ for Ever; and I pray, and I beg to her, and I do so, for all our congregation here:

“Triumphant Queen, look on us in our exile, So that we follow our footsteps: so that we too come to heaven”