The Woman of Perfect Freedom
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr Robert Gay ponders on Our Lady’s life of perfect obedience and perfect freedom.
What comes to mind when we think of the Blessed Virgin Mary? We might think of her many titles, which are a way of expressing her importance in the history of salvation and her importance in the devotional life of Christians. The title Mother of God, or Seat of Wisdom, for example, connect us to her role in the history of salvation in relation to her Son, our Saviour. Other titles, such as Comforter of the Afflicted or Refuge of Sinners, connect us to her as a mother, who intercedes for us powerfully during our earthly pilgrimage and brings us closer to her Son.
Today’s feast of the Assumption asks us to focus on the conclusion of Mary’s earthly life, when she was taken up into heaven, body and soul. By virtue of the grace she received at the moment of her conception and throughout her life, she was preserved from the stain of original sin and personal sin, so that she could be a worthy mother for the Word made flesh – and likewise a worthy mother for all Christians who desire to be closer to her Son. And so she did not experience the bodily corruption that usually occurs with death because of sin. For this reason, she was able to be glorified and raised up by God, soul and body, into heaven. This is the fulfilment of the life of the one whom Elizabeth recognised as blessed among women.
Returning to the titles, it might be helpful to think of her Assumption as a celebration of Mary, the woman of perfect freedom. Her life was not without challenges – moments when she had to trust God without knowing how her life would unfold. And of course, her life was also full of suffering, none greater than seeing her beloved son put to death on the cross. Yet despite this, because of her life of grace, she navigated her life with the utmost freedom, which she found in obedience to God’s will, in obedience to her Son.
This freedom of Mary is a great challenge for us. It challenges the idea of freedom that we often have, which tells us that we are free as long as we are completely autonomous – with no obligations to anything or anyone, with as many choices as possible before us from which we can choose – with very few constraints other than the basic moral framework.
Mary is the woman who decided to do God’s will and to cooperate perfectly with the grace offered to her. She was faithful to God’s will and always faithful to those around her. We see this in her haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, despite her pregnancy. And we see it in the key moments when she stands by her Son.
And from her we can learn what our true freedom is. It is not a life free from obligations and commitments, free from challenges and suffering. It is a life lived in loving trust that the God who loved and created us knows what is good for us – and makes us free as we navigate our lives through the grace he generously offers us. Mary shows us that if we bind ourselves to God and then to others in committed and loving service, we will learn what it means to be free.
Today’s feast celebrates the result of Mary’s freedom: a place in heaven, body and soul, where she can enjoy God’s freedom, fully alive in him. Today we ask her to help us with her prayers, so that she may free us from everything that binds us – and so that, at the end of our lives, we may be ready to enter into God’s kingdom.
Readings: Apocalypse 11:19,12:1-6,10 | 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 | Luke 1:39-56
