Faith

MARY: “HAND MADE” by God – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Solemnities are of the highest degree in the liturgy of the Church and are usually reserved for the most important mysteries of faith.  The word comes from Latin sollemnitas, derived from sollus (whole) and annus (year), indicating an annual celebration. There are 17 solemnities inscribed in the General Roman calendar which are observed throughout the Latin Church . The Assumption of the BVM, is one of the seventeen.

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII formally defined and promulgated the dogma of the Assumption in his encyclical Munificentissimus Deus. The world was living in a post-World War II era and the Pope clearly wanted to express his hope that meditation on Mary’s assumption would lead the faithful to a greater awareness of our common dignity as the human family. 

Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, (note the silence regarding her death) was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.”  The Church never explicitly says Mary did not die.

Make no mistake; Pope Pius XII did not just wake up one day to pronounce this definition as claimed by the Pentecostals.   The tradition of the Assumption goes back to as early as the sixth century when we find homilies on the Assumption.  In 749 St. John Damascene recorded an interesting story concerning the Assumption:  “St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven” (Second Homily on the Dormition of Mary)

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Opinion

 Stop Tipping God !

Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine – Proverbs 3:9-10

So when a priest talks about money, that sets a lot of people riled up. “He should not be focusing on money”. Really? Is that the best defence we can put up to hide behind the truth about Church contributions? So let me make a case here “for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Let me begin by stating that cheerful giving must be a two-way street.  The Church must learn to give, especially to the poor and needy (not always the case), and the congregation must learn to give without judging. My little Church of St. Jude in Malad East has 799 congregants most of whom who are financially challenged, yet they give with a large heart. The monthly contribution to the community fund can vary between sixty thousand rupees to a lakh (a hundred thousand); that from people who care barely eke out a living!

When I first took over the Church, the response was anything but generous. We would beam with joy if the collection in the community fund even touched thirty thousand rupees. So we took a decision to break the trust deficit that is often in the minds of congregants; we decided to give first especially to the poor.

Ironically the Government of India demands that all charitable trusts spend eighty five percent of their annual income within that financial year. This makes sense at a very basic level, for a charitable trust does not exist to hoard money but spend it for what it has been established.

Learning to give first was not easy, but that’s when faith kicks in. As a priest I have to trust that God will provide for our every need, and to horde funds no matter how great the cause, makes poor sense in His eyes. It was in giving that we received, for today ninety percent of our working congregation contributes to the fund. The congregation is encouraged to give one per cent or simply one rupee to the community fund; but give they are encouraged to.

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Art/ Heritage

TOTUS TUUS: ‘The Assumption of the Virgin’ by Titian (1516 – 1518)

 Tiziano Vecelli (anglicized as Titian) is one of the greatest painters of the Venetian school of High Renaissance art. Born in the Republic of Venice in 1488-90, his vivid application of colour had a profound influence on the artistic world. His imaginative temperament earned him the title of a poet-painter. The fluidity in his painting, the increasing freedom of brushstroke and his deft ability to grasp personality can be well noted in today’s masterpiece – The Assumption of the Virgin.

The painting, a bright star among the many dazzles, can be found in the Church of Santa Maria dei Frari in Venice. As you walk down the nave of the Church and step across the choir screen your gaze is directed to this giant, massive, twenty three feet tall painting that serves as the central altar piece of the Franciscan Church. At first glance its scale, the richness of its colour, its complexity and its theological beauty enamours the viewer. The burst of its golden hues absorbs the haze of light that spills through the lancet windows that surround it. At once, the Assumption of the Virgin springs forth to life as the viewer is transported to the divine hour of mystery and glory. 

As we begin this sacred journey, we first encounter a horizontal mass of awe-struck apostles who physically share our terrestrial space. However, spiritually their souls rise above their mortal beings as they stare in wonder and awe at the spectacular vision before them. We are drawn to their efficacy as the earthbound figures with their hands raised attempt to rise against the force of gravity, homebound to heaven. In a dramatic swirl the apostle in red, with his back towards us directs our gaze to the next intermediary layer.

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Faith

Desperation to deliverance  – Saturday, 18th week in ordinary time – Mt 17:14-20

 The Italian High Renaissance master, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, in his last earthly masterpiece, captured this narrative in the lower register of the great painting of the Transfiguration.  In the upper register of the painting and dominating it, is the narrative of the Transfiguration; and then there is this story, in the bottom register. While the painter may have subordinated this narrative to the great narrative of the Transfiguration, he certainly understood the importance of the issue at stake. Faith after all, is no trivial matter.

Jesus has taken Peter, James and John up the mountain. It is here that they experience the Transfiguration. Already we get a sense of a personal transformation, as a result of the Transfiguration experience. Petulant Peter, who had been chastised in Caesarea Philippi for harbouring his own ambitions, is now a humbled man. He address Jesus as “Lord” not teacher and is now submissive and suggestive; “If you wish, I will make three dwellings.”

The nine other apostles were still at the foot of the mount. They had no idea what had just taken place and are blissfully unaware of the deep personal experience of the three apostles.  While this great mystical experience was taking place on the mount, they were struggling to heal an epileptic on the plains. It’s ironic that they could not heal the boy, for they had already received in chapter ten, the power to cast out demons. What then seemed to be the problem?

Interestingly, what the disciples failed to recognize, the father of the boy with epilepsy did. He does not greet Jesus with the customary “rabbi” but calls Jesus “Lord”. This is the same title that Peter greeted the transfigured Lord. This simple man of faith had not trudged with Jesus over the Galilean countryside as He preached and healed; he must have simply heard of Jesus, had faith and believed.

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Faith

The first comedians ‘roast’ – Feast of St Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr – Jn 12:24-26

The setting of today’s reading is Palm Sunday (John12: 12) and these are the opening words of His Palm Sunday ‘homily’ preached to His disciples. Interestingly, He is the author of the text, He is the subject of the text and it is in Him that we find our context.

The plot to kill Jesus has already been set in motion in chapter 11 and snowballs into killing all those around Him who in any way increase the strength of His popularity, including Lazarus (12:10). Clearly it was the growing popularity of the mission of Jesus that threatened the foundations of Pharisaic beliefs. 

Their fear of losing this battle is confirmed in the scripture text that precedes the Gospel of today (12: 19), for right before their eyes they  see and confess that the “world has gone after Him (Jesus).” The message of Jesus had certainly spread like wild fire, enough to attract ‘some Greeks’ who had come to worship during the Passover festival. These ‘God fearing’ Gentiles, clearly have been drawn to the Jewish festivities, yet hearing the message of Jesus, they now seek Him and not the temple.

The Good News that Jesus came to preach, was principally to the Jews, but it soon began to captivate the beliefs of the Gentiles too. The Early Church had to struggle through this phase. Should the mission of Jesus be limited only to the Jews and the demands of its traditional customs?  It was the Jewish ritual of circumcision, demanded of the Gentile converts, which created divisions between St Paul on one hand and the apostles on the other.

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