Feast of the Assumption Our precious bodies. Through the centuries, the church has used declarations on Mary as a way to explain the richness of our faith. In the early centuries, the people of the church argued long and hard about what it meant for Christ to be both human and divine. It is so hard for us to get our minds around this mystery. The crucial declaration came at the council of Nicea when Mary was declared Mother of God. In this title we have a way of holding together the complex mystery and exploring what it means. Giving the title to Mary was not just an exercise in glorifying her, rather it was a gift to us to enter more deeply into the mystery of faith. So what about the mystery of the Assumption? Is this just a title glorifying Mary? Is it something remote from us? Or does it teach us something about our destiny as well? Looking at the 20th century, I see some trends to which this mystery responds. All involve the denigration of the body. The last century was one of horrifying violence. There were numerous wars - but wars have always happened. But nowadays violence has become a major form of entertainment – and it is difficult to avoid. What is seen on our screens goes far beyond the violence people would have watched in previous times. As each benchmark is passed, newer degradations of people are found. We are not made for this. There is a deep unhappiness with our own bodies. So much of advertising is aimed at making us unhappy with the body we have. Nothing is good enough. Then look at the ideal that is put up for us - the models on the catwalks - long dour looks and strange strutting walks. Women are supposed to want to be like that! We are not made for this. And then there is the ‘spiritualisation’ of religion that has swept over the Western world. I often have people say to me “Oh I’m a spiritual person. I don’t need to go to church.” I feel like countering with: “Do you have something against the body?” This ‘spiritualisation’ divorces the religious quest from bodily worship and moral discipline. Traditional religion says there is something important about worshiping communally and treating myself and other people with respect – and invariably that involves the body. In the Assumption of Mary, we have a reconfirmation of how important our bodies are. They are now expressive of who we are, intimately involved in the formation of our personality, the means by which we experience joy and love, integral to our relationship with God and other people. Then, with Mary in heaven, and in our bodies, in a way we do not understand, we will see God and enter into the fullness of life and love. We are made for that.
Sr Kym Harris OSB |