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August 15, 2022
Dubai.
His Excellency Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia and His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar Emeritus concelebrated the Solemn Holy Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Assumption on 14 August 2022 at St. Mary's Dubai for the patronal feast of the parish.
Below is the full text of the homily delivered by Bishop Paolo Martinelli during the occasion.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear. Brothers and Sisters,
May the Lord give you peace and the Joy of the risen Jesus.
This evening we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of Holy Mary into heaven. An important feast for all the people of God but particularly precious for you who are parishioners of a Church dedicated to Mary.
What are we celebrating today? In 1950, 72 years ago, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven in body and soul. The Blessed Virgin Mary did not suffer the corruption of death, but through a mysterious way, Christ associated his Mother with his victory, his resurrection.
The feast of the Assumption of Mary Most Holy into heaven indicates the goal that the Mother of God has reached. It is the same goal God has prepared for all of us.
Although we are all still on the way, today's feast wants to assure us of the ultimate goal of our journey. Mother Mary has arrived there, where a beautiful place has been prepared for us too.
She arrived early to be a sure sign of hope for us all. Mother Mary is the assurance of hope we placed in the risen Christ.
It is no coincidence that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven in body and soul is the last dogma proclaimed by the Catholic Church through the authority of the Pope. Although the awareness of this Christian mystery is already attested in the ancient Church, it took 1950 years for the Church to become fully aware of what is involved in this essential statement.
In fact, the content of this dogma is extraordinary: a human creature has reached heaven, with body and soul; heaven is what always transcends us, surpasses us and yet like a father opening his arms to embrace the child, heaven always embraces us. Heaven is all that goes beyond; it symbolizes eternal life and infinity.
Heaven is the goal of every aspiration and desire. In fact, the word "desire" refers precisely to heaven and the stars. The Latin root word of the term "desire" is"sider," which means "stars.” Every desire goes to the stars, towards infinity.
Our Lady reached heaven in fullness. It is not a mere coincidence that the stars are also painted in the images of the Mother of God. Mary is crowned with twelve stars telling us that Mary expresses the fulfilment of our desire for happiness and love.
The Gospel today brings back the canticle of Mary, the Magnificat. It is a victory song. Therefore the feast of the Assumption is a victory feast. God won, Jesus won, and made us win with him.
This exaltation of Mary is also a subversion of the values that dominate the world. The proud and the mighty are scattered; the humble and the poor are exalted.
But we can ask ourselves more precisely: if this is a victory celebration, what have we been saved from? We listen to the answer from St. Paul: the tyranny of death has been defeated: the last enemy to be defeated will be death.
Elsewhere the letter to the Hebrews says that Christ came to free all those who lived in fear of death. This fear negatively conditions our relationships, and above all,it does not allow us to understand the positive meaning of our bodies which wear out and age over time.
We must not consider the soul opposite to the body because God creates everythingfor good and is destined for resurrection and eternal life. The Assumption of Mary into heaven in her body helps us understand the dignity of our bodies; our whole self, soul and body, is called to holiness, to the fullness of divine love.
Finally, why does Our Lady become a sign of victory for us today? Jesus is undoubtedly our salvation. However, to secure our hope, he wished to unite his Mother Mary in every event of his life.
Jesus wanted the blessed Virgin Mary to be always by his side. He entered the world thanks to Mary of Nazareth in the mystery of the Annunciation; under the cross,Jesus entrusts each of us to Mary: She is the mother of God and Mother of us all.
Jesus, risen and ascended into heaven, makes our Lady fully participate in his victory with her assumption into heaven in body and soul. Here is what great mystery we celebrate in today's feast.
Dear faithful of the parish of Saint Mary’s, I invite you to look to the Blessed Virgin assumed into heaven with great hope; she accompanies us with her maternal love, and she is constantly interceding for us. The Mother of God invites us and helps us to live a good life on earth knowing that our destiny is that heaven where she has already reached.
Animated by this hope, we want to live in peace with everyone and love one another. We want to witness to the whole world the joy of the gospel and the victory of Jesus over evil and death.
Finally, let us entrust all our dear brothers and sisters who have already passed awayand are waiting for the final resurrection to Our Lady who has already assumed into heaven.
May we one day meet again with all our loved ones in the resurrected life with Our Lady the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints in heaven in endless joy.