She Did Well!

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
15 August 2010


Come, let us worship the King of kings, for today his Virgin Mother was taken up to heaven.


First reading Apocalypse 11:19,12:1-6,10
The sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Then came flashes of lightning, peals of thunder and an earthquake, and violent hail.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and dropped them to the earth, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was having the child, so that he could eat it as soon as it was born from its mother. The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready, for her to be looked after in the twelve hundred and sixty days.
Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 44:10-12,16

Second reading 1 Corinthians 15:20-26
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet.

Gospel Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

Reflection
By Anabelle Payod-Balla

I experienced pre-term contractions that can put me and my baby’s life at high risk. My doctor advised me to be in full bed rest until my delivery date which is more than four weeks long! I was filled with self pity upon hearing this because my three days in the hospital has been very difficult already given the limited activities and all the body pains from lying down all day. There were two options available. One is to deliver the baby prematurely so I won’t go through the whole four weeks of full bed rest, and the second one is to go through that four weeks bed rest so the baby can complete its development in my womb and ensure its excellent health. A decision has to be made.

I wondered if Mother Mary will make the decision as a mother, what will it be? The answer came so easily. She would definitely consider the baby’s needs first before hers. No doubt about it. The bible has full of stories how she put the needs of others first before her own, how she humbly followed God’s will despite the disadvantages, the difficulties, the pains.

Mama Mary, the original “vessel of Christ” is unquestionably selfless, obedient, loving and humble. She was given a purpose, an extraordinary role as the Mother of God and she did it well. In fact, she even surpassed it because her motherly love and care went beyond Jesus. She adopted us all as her children and continues to pray and intercede for all of us. Because of this, she was given a special honor termed as hyperdulia which indicates that the honor given to her is more than the dulia given to other saints. Dulia refers to the honor that is due to human beings, especially those who lived and died in God’s friendship- the saints.

Cheers to Mama Mary!



Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Look up to Mama Mary and you’ll be on the right track as a loving mother!

Next on God-speak
Why Wait For Punishment?