My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, What a grace-filled day this is. We gather on this most solemn Feast of the Assumption of our Bl...
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
What a grace-filled day this is. We gather on this most solemn Feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. And at the same time, we gather to mark the end of your retreat, a sacred time of pause as you stand at the threshold of a new chapter in your lives: retirement. After so many years of dedicated service, of deadlines, sales, closing deals, travels and dealing with clients, of telling the stories of our faith, you have arrived at this moment of quiet fulfillment.
As I prayed over the readings for today, thinking of you, three words kept coming to my heart, three words that I believe capture the message of this feast and the beautiful legacy of your own lives. The words are Communication, Culmination, and Coronation.
First, Communication.
In our Gospel today, we hear the most beautiful piece of communication ever uttered. It’s not a news report or a formal declaration. It is a song of pure joy from the heart of a young woman: the Magnificat. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary receives the greatest news in history—that God is with her, that she will bear the Son of God—and what does she do? She communicates it. She doesn't keep it to herself. She runs to Elizabeth and sings it out for all the world to hear.
For decades, this has been your life. You weren’t just working with ink and paper, or sound waves and digital files. You were participating in Mary’s great Magnificat. With every bible and bible diaries you have sold, and every penny you have raised, you were helping souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Your work was a sacred act of communication, echoing Mary’s own joyful announcement that our God is a God who lifts up the lowly and does great things for us. You have been the heralds of the Good News. So on behalf of the silent Lord, the Son of Mary, now present with you, Thank you, Ate Agie and Kuya Edgar!
Second, Culmination.
The Assumption of Mary is the ultimate culmination of a life lived in total faith. Think about it. From her “yes” at the Annunciation, to her standing at the foot of the cross, every moment of Mary’s life was a step toward this glorious end. It was not right that the body which gave flesh to God Incarnate should see decay. Her Assumption into heaven, body and soul, is the beautiful, logical, and loving conclusion to her earthly story. It is the final “Amen” to a life of perfect obedience.
Your careers, and this retreat, have now reached their own culmination. It’s a moment to look back, not with sadness that it’s over, but with gratitude for how God has brought everything to fulfillment. All the early mornings, the late nights, the challenges met, the successes celebrated—all of it has culminated in this moment of honorable rest. Like Mary, your “yes” offered day after day in your work has now reached a point of completion. God has taken your life’s work and brought it to a beautiful and dignified conclusion.
Finally, and most joyfully, Coronation.
Our first reading from the Book of Revelation gives us this stunning image: “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Our tradition sees this as Mary, the Queen of Heaven. The psalm response echoes this: “The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.”
Her Assumption Is her coronation. The humble girl from Nazareth, the one who called herself the Lord’s lowly servant, is raised up and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. This is the promise of the Magnificat made real: “He has lifted up the lowly.”
And this, my dear friends, is the promise for you, too. Your years of service, often quiet, often behind the scenes, have not gone unnoticed by the King. The world may not give out crowns for a life of faithful work, but heaven does. The Lord, for whom you have labored, is preparing a place for you. St. Paul tells us in the second reading that Christ is the “firstfruits” and we will all be brought to life in him. Mary, in her Assumption, is the model of this promise fulfilled. She shows us where our own journey of faith is headed.
So as you leave this retreat and step into your new life, take these three words with you. Remember your life of holy Communication. Rest in this beautiful moment of Culmination. And live with the joyful and certain hope of your eternal Coronation.
May Mary, our Assumed Mother and Queen, wrap you in her mantle of peace and hold you close to her Son, today and all the days of your life. Amen.
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