Day 47: Mary’s Return Home

I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the 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. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension.
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The fourth glorious mystery is the Assumption of Mary. Luke chapter 1 verses 46 through 56.
For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name, and his mercy on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his posterity forever.
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. In light of the assumption of Mary, I think those final words can be seen as quite the prophecy.
And she returned to her home. In a certain sense, that is what we are going to be reflecting on today in the assumption of Mary, Mary's return to her eternal home.
And as we look at the last two of the glorious mysteries, the Assumption of Mary and then Our Lady's coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth, a pretty popular objection is going to be, okay, where are these in Scripture? And what we'll see is that these mysteries, these realities are the fruit of a proper reading of the fullness of the word of God,

the fullness of scripture. In particular, understanding Mary as the fulfillment of Old Testament realities.
In our meditation on the joyful mysteries, in particular we noticed mary as the new Ark of the Covenant. As a quick reminder, the Ark of the Covenant was the dwelling place of God among his people.
And there was this glory cloud, the sign of God's presence. And just before the Babylonians destroyed the temple, the home of the ark and the holy of holies, the glory cloud departed, and then we saw it return at the annunciation as the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary.
And we saw Mary as the new ark, as the old ark of the covenant was the place where God dwelt with his people. It was also the ark carried the 10 commandments.
It carried the staff of Aaron,

the high priest. It carried the manna, the bread of life, the bread of the desert.
And that Jesus is the fulfillment of this. Jesus is the new commandment.
Jesus is the new priest. Jesus is the bread of life.
And so as Mary carries Jesus in her womb, Jesus who is Emmanuel, God with us, she's the new covenant. And that very clearly Luke in the story of the visitation is making connections again

and again and again of Mary going to visit Elizabeth and its parallels as David the king

is bringing the ark to Jerusalem where the temple will be built, a home for the ark,

what we call home for the Lord.

So in summary, two points. Jesus is the new David, and Mary is the new ark.

And while I'm basing this episode off of Dr. Brant Petrie's book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary.
This is a connection to reality

that has been made throughout centuries of Christianity. So the logic is this, doesn't it make sense that as David sent so much effort, was so set on bringing the ark to Jerusalem, doesn't it also follow logically

that the new David would desire the new ark

to be with him in the new Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, the heavenly temple? And an important detail about the ark is this, is that what the ark was made of was very, very important. There's great details and great dignity given to the ark itself, not just the presence of God, not just the glory of the Lord, not just that which was in it.
The ark itself, the container itself was an object of veneration, of holiness.

It had been made holy by what it contained and was considered holy because of its function.

It wasn't just a vessel to be discarded.

It itself had become holy and had a great dignity. In the Assumption of Mary, we celebrate the Assumption of Mary, the new ark into the new Jerusalem, the new heavenly temple with the new David who sits at the right hand of the father.
And it's the assumption of Mary, body and soul. Mary was not just a vessel.
Mary was not just a necessary biological reality. Mary herself, her body and her soul, all of Mary is preserved from sin.
And all of Mary is invited to share in the glory of Jesus body and soul

and as the ark

was holy, Mary herself is holy. We see this supported by Revelation.
This is Revelation chapter 11 verse 19, which we'll read as we meditate on the coronation of Mary tomorrow. But what we'll see here is we see the Ark of the Covenant in the temple.
We see a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, a crown of 12 stars. We see the existence, the reality of the new temple, the new Jerusalem.
And what is there? The Ark of the Covenant and the woman. And what Dr.
Brant Petrie says is that this consistent with John's use of dual symbols, he uses the dragon, the serpent to symbolize the devil. He used the male child and the lamb to symbolize Christ.
And then he has the Ark of the Covenant and he has the woman to symbolize Mary. And so we see here in the book of Revelation, we see the fulfillment of Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant is so important to the people of Israel, which dwelt, which found its home in the temple. We now see this fulfilled and Mary assumed into heaven as she goes to her eternal home, as she goes to the new and everlasting temple.

And while Mary's assumption to heaven was defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950,

this wasn't a new 20th century invention.

We have St. John Damascene writing this.

And again, this is from Dr. Petrie's book.

Today, the holy incomparable virgin enters the heavenly sanctuary that lies above the universe. Today, the holy living ark of the living God, the one who carried her own maker within herself, comes to her rest in the temple of the Lord, not made by hands.
David, her ancestor and another important aspect of Mary's reality as the living ark of the covenant.

She has an extraordinary destiny of glory because she is so closely united to the Son whom she welcomed in faith and generated in the flesh. Mary, mother of God, full of grace, fully docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, already lives in God's heaven with her whole being, body, and soul.
And as we saw at the resurrection, Jesus' glorified body. We see now, in Mary's assumption, Mary already sharing in this new glorification, this new participation in God's own divine life in heaven, body and soul.
And what we rejoice in and celebrate is, yes, Mary's return home, Mary's own share in the glory of heaven, but also the hope it gives us that we too are called to the same glory, that what has been true for Mary, blessed is she who believed that was promised her would be fulfilled, that blessed are we, my brothers and sisters, blessed are we who believe and know that where she has already gone, we are called to follow. And so we beg today to join with all of the heavenly angels who celebrate Mary's share and the glory of her son in heaven.
And we beg that this joy may be for us a source of encouragement and grace as we too continue this pilgrimage to our heavenly homeland. 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.
Glory be to the 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, friends, thanks for joining me,

praying with me again today.

I look forward to continuing this journey

with you again tomorrow.

Poco Poco, friends.

God bless you all.