Newsletter- 20th Week of Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners
This weekend at all our Sunday Masses we keep the great Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This weekend we are invited to contemplate one of the most beautiful truths of our Catholic faith: the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory. It is a mystery radiant with hope, shimmering with the love of God, and bursting with meaning for each one of us.
We must begin with the heart of the Church’s belief: Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, having completed her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven. This was solemnly defined as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950. But this belief is not new: it has lived for centuries in the heart of the Church, nourished by Sacred Scripture, celebrated in the Sacred Liturgy, and proclaimed in the faith of God’s people.
The Assumption is not merely about what happened to Mary. It is about what God has done in her. And through her, we see what God wills to do in us.
Mary did not ascend by her own power. She was assumed — taken up — by the mercy and might of God. It was a divine act of love and favour, crowning her fidelity, her holiness, and her singular role as the Mother of the Redeemer. Why did God do this? Why should Mary be glorified in this way? Because she followed the Lord Jesus all the way.
From the angel’s greeting in Nazareth to the Cross on Calvary, Mary gave her whole self — body and soul — to God. She believed, she obeyed, she suffered, she loved. Her whole life was one great fiat or “yes” to the Lord. And now, in the Assumption, her whole person shares in her Son’s victory over sin and death.
Her Assumption is not a fairy tale, not a quaint tradition. It is a promise. A preview. A prophecy of what is to come for all of us who belong to Christ. St Paul writes: “Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive.” Mary is the first to receive this fullness. She is the first fruit, and we are the harvest to follow. Her Assumption is the Easter of our Lady, and a pledge of our own resurrection.
This truth is a message of hope for a tired world. It is God’s declaration that we are all made for Heaven. That our bodies matter. That death is not the end. And that love — the kind of love Mary lived — is stronger than death. This means that Mary is not distant from our human existence. She is not far off in a celestial corner. No; Mary is close, because she is with God, and God is near to us all. Mary is our Mother in Heaven, and from her place of glory she intercedes for us. She prays for us. She watches over us with tender care, just as she did for Jesus. She reminds us, always: Be not afraid. Follow my Son. Trust in his love. Say yes to him, as I did. Then your life, too, will be full of grace. Then your journey, too, will end in glory.
Every year as we keep the great Solemnity of the Assumption, we are invited not only to honour Mary’s destiny, but to embrace our own. The Assumption is not simply about where Mary has gone; it is about where we are going. If we walk with the Lord Jesus, as she did, we will rise with him, as she has. In a world clouded by confusion, weighed down by sorrow, and hungry for meaning, the Assumption of Mary shines like a beacon. It tells us that God has not abandoned us. That Heaven is real. That holiness is possible. And that the love of Christ has triumphed — and will triumph — in us.
On this great Solemnity of the Assumption let us lift our eyes to Mary, the woman clothed with the sun. Let us entrust our lives to her, confident in her prayers. And may the light of her Assumption illuminate our path, giving us courage, hope, and joy, as we look forward for the great things the Lord will do for us.
Additional Services and Changes to our Regular Mass schedule this coming week:
Tuesday 18th August – Funeral Mass – Nora Atkin – 12 noon. N.B. Normal Tuesday Liturgies in the evening.
Friday 21st August – No Mass at 9.30 am – Funeral Mass – Mary Philomena Mills – 12.30 pm
The Holiday Season: As the month of August continues many more parishioners will be away on holiday, taking time to travel and to rest and relax with family and friends. I wish you a wonderful holiday! Safe travels and a good rest! We shall look forward to welcoming you back to the parish after your time away. A very warm welcome too to those who may be visiting St Marys and the Grantham area during August.
Fr Jonathan – Annual leave: I shall be taking a short holiday away from the parish traveling with an old friend to the island of Kefalonia to stay close to the small fishing village of Katelios. A time I hope of much needed rest and relaxation! I shall be away from Wednesday 26th August until Monday 7th September. During my absence Mgr. Hadley will cover all the weekend Masses and there will be a restricted Mass schedule during the week. Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 9.30 am whilst I am away and outside of these Mass times the church will be closed.
With prayers for you and for your families during this coming week,
Your parish priest and friend,
Father Jonathan
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