Day 187: God is Never Outdone

I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with Renewal and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where through prayer and meditation.

The Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.

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This is day 187.

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Today, we will be meditating upon and praying with the fourth glorious mystery, the Assumption,

with help from a stained glass in the Burgos Cathedral entitled Assumption of Mary.

Brief introduction to our artwork.

The specific artist of the Assumption of Mary stained glass is unknown.

It was created in the 15th to 16th century,

and though the exact artist is unknown, the stained glass reflects the collaborative craftsmanship of Burgos Cathedral's workshops influenced by Flemish and Spanish Gothic traditions.

And our description of today's artwork.

In the center of a group of three windows, through the jewel-toned hues of stained glass, shines the Virgin Mary with a golden halo.

Mary rises above earth upon blue clouds, flanked with angels with colorful wings.

Her palms are opened.

Behind her, the blue clouds open up to reveal yellow beams as she is assumed to heaven.

Directly below her, two haloed men gently tend to blossoms in a raised garden, bed-shaped like a sarcophagus, resembling an empty tomb.

Each of the vibrant windows are decorated with ornate gothic tracery with curling gold details.

In the side panels, ten disciples, five in each window, stand among grasses, rocks, and distant mountains.

Their golden halos glow as they gaze upward in awe, witnessing the miraculous moment of Mary's Assumption.

Today we have Mary being assumed into heaven,

being depicted through the stained glass window.

And I'd say it's

actually quite fitting that our two stained glass windows that we've looked at in this Rosarina year pilgrimage here

have been the mystery of the Transfiguration, and now secondly, the mystery of the Assumption.

And again, I think this is fitting.

And so I'm going to go ahead and take a moment and connect the dots, starting with

a poetic, pious tradition,

and then moving towards that which is more profound and more sure.

So there's what can be called like a pious tradition that the garment being worn by Jesus at the transfiguration was made for him by Mary.

And what in the Gospels do we read about the garment?

We read that on the mountain, Jesus was transfigured and his garment

was made dazzling white.

And commentators on this gospel and in this detail, such as Pope Benedict XVI,

see in the dazzling white garment a promise

that Jesus will glorify that which he receives from us, and he will glorify us.

He says, Through baptism, we are clothed with Jesus in light, and we ourselves become light.

So, now let's take this kind of a little bit deeper, looking at the relationship between Jesus and Mary.

Jesus receives his humanity from Mary, like St.

Augustine says, this is a quote, he took his flesh from the flesh of Mary.

So even more, right, than just receiving material clothing from Mary, he receives his humanity, his flesh from Mary,

and he glorifies it.

In turn, he will glorify Mary.

Jesus, who received a share in her humanity, will give her a share in his divinity through what is called theosis.

The transfiguration, right, that first window, gives witness to the fact that Jesus is the light.

The assumption gives witness to Mary becoming light by grace.

Brothers and sisters, we are called to share in the very life

of God.

And what I want to key in on is the way in which Jesus is not outdone in generosity in the life of Mary

and then in our lives as well.

So a little review, right?

Jesus takes from Mary his humanity.

Growing up in Nazareth, right, he is cared for by Mary.

given earthly food by Mary.

He is dressed by Mary.

As a young boy, his tears are wiped away by Mary.

He's lifted up and carried by Mary.

And then he's offered to the Father by Mary, and she freely assents, right, to sharing in Jesus' suffering.

All of this in time, all of this on earth, right?

Then,

what does Mary receive from Jesus?

He gives to her a share in his divinity.

Not only was Mary nourished by his body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist,

but now she shares in Jesus' eternal life.

Her tears have been wiped away forever.

She who clothed Jesus with this fragile fabric is now dressed in light.

Mary who carried him in her womb is lifted up, assumed into heaven by God.

And she who suffered in time shares in the glory of heaven forever.

Mary gave so much to Jesus.

In fact, she gave everything to Jesus.

And Jesus received everything she gave, right?

It was a pleasing offering.

And in repayment,

He gives to her even more.

The creature, even Mary, will never best

the generosity of the Creator.

And what has been true for Mary

will be true for all the saints,

all the faithful souls who follow Jesus and remain in Jesus.

He will never be outdone in generosity.

We who serve him in time will be invited to reign with him for eternity.

My brothers and sisters, we too

are called to become light,

sharers in the divine nature,

as the catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 460, states.

The word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature.

This is why the word became man, and the son of God became the son of man,

so that man, by entering into communion with the word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.

As we pray today,

we move our eyes from this fleeting world with its profound but passing sufferings.

And we set our eyes on heaven.

We set our eyes on glory

and on the hope of sharing for eternity

in the very life of God.

Now, with Mary, let us pray.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.

Now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary full full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.

Now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.

Now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Glory be to the Father, Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

All right.

Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

Poco, poco, friends.

God bless you all.