With the Feast of the Assumption falling on a Sunday this year, Fr. Maher is taking the opportunity to examine this week’s readings in light of the teachings and traditions dealing with the Church’s understanding of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
The gospel today describes a man, who approaches Jesus with the type of question that is familiar to us all: What do I need to do to get the job done. We all know from painful experience that nothing hampers progress better than vague instructions and nebulous goals. We have often thought that a situation would have been better if there was was a bit more clarity. So when many of us read the story of the man who askes Jesus, “what must I do to be saved,” there are nods of affirmation in recognizing that clarity of focus usually helps attain a goal. Jesus’ response answers with equal clarity the precision of the question. He informs the young man to follow the law and upon further questioning he tells him that salvation comes from giving up everything and following Jesus. The ending of the story recounts that that the young man walked away sad, “for he had many possessions.” The reader is left to fill in the explanation of why the young man walked away. The answer of course is that he did not want to abandon what he held as more important. It is at this point where the Catholic tradition has seen Mary as the model of the perfect follower of Christ. Her yes to God at the Annunciation was echoed again at her yes to the divine will at the foot of the cross. Yet by her acceptance of the divine will she attained the greatest gift of all. Within the Catholic tradition, the rosary has existed as brief meditations in which we walk with Mary through the events of her life, both natural and supernatural. In the traditional configuration, the last are the joyous mysteries, concluding with Mary being crowned Queen of Heaven. Contrast Mary’s joy she experienced at her Assumption and recognition with the sadness of the young man walking away from Jesus. And of course, the cause of both the joy and sorrow of these two individuals is the direction of their walk.