Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.

The two images of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Satan, Prince of the World are polar opposites of each other. Mary is clothed in the lights of the sun, moon, and stars. She the model of what it means to be a God-bearing person. She gives birth to our Lord and Savior, bringing new life into the world. Her entire being brings glory to God. Satan, on the other hand, is clothed in bloody red scales and his horns are meant not for trumpeting God’s glory, but to do violence to the children of God. His tail sweeps away the light of God’s Divine Truth and brings darkness. Unlike Mary, who brings love and life to all creation, he knows only how to bring about sin and death. There could not be a clearer picture painted of the choice that faces us all. We can be like Mary and bear God into the world with pain and labor, but with the promise of everlasting life or we can be like Satan devouring the world in passion and violence, but leave ourselves empty inside and with no hope of eternal life.

How can we clothe ourselves in the light of God’s Goodness and bring love and life to the world? Are we willing to bear the pain and suffering that come with doing God’s Will? What can we do to prepare ourselves to flee from the temptations and wickedness of the Devil and all his empty promises?

O Lord, make us into signs of your love and mercy for all those we meet.

Amen.