NO BOUNDS.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ? 1 Corinthians 15:25

A condemned murderer has a few minutes left before going inside the chamber where the electric chair awaits him. The priest asks if he wants to have his confession. With a glazed look, trembling and tears falling, he mumbles ?I have made my peace with God. I know I have been forgiven.?
      At the age of 20, he began a life of drugs, drink, women, and robbery. He was always able to elude his pursuers but in the end, having killed a whole family of seven while high with shabu, he was finally arrested and sentenced to die in the electric chair. After so many years inside, very slowly he made in his enemies in his mind slowly became well, non-enemies, as he began to absorb the goodness of God through prayer meetings and counsellings.
     At the very last moment, the light in the door brightened as the electricity entered his body, and the only sound that was heard was his voice crying out ?God!? Chelle C.

REFLECTION:
God?s forgiveness knows no bounds. If the Enemy tells you you cannot be forgiven, send him to Jesus? feet.

Thank You, Lord, for defeating all my enemies.

Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

Mary?s Assumption into heaven becomes a further source of hope for our own reception of this grace at the end of time. Mary receives at her time of death that which is promised to all through the resurrection of Jesus. This privilege and grace is a result of her being the Mother of God. She is not receiving something that we will not receive. But she is getting it ?earlier? than we will. There is no need for us to be jealous or think that God has favorites. It is just a recognition of her role in salvation history as the one chosen to bear the Christ Child to the world.

19 Then God?s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. 12: 1 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. 6 The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ?Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.?

P S A L M

Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R: The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

9 [10] The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir. (R) 10 [11] Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father?s house. (R) 11 [12] So shall the king desire your beauty; for he is your lord. (R) 15 [16] They are borne in with gladness and joy; they enter the palace of the king. (R)

2nd READING

1 Corinthians 15:20-27

St. Paul tells us that Christ is the first fruit of the resurrection from the dead ? the first to travel this path. We believe that Mary is the second to receive the fullness of salvation. She now resides in heaven with the Lord. We will all follow them as we receive the grace of the resurrection from the dead after our earthly pilgrimage has ended and we have been purified of all sin and the effects of sin. Let us pray daily for this day of glory to come to us in its fullest form.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, 23 but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; 24 then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death, 27 for ?he subjected everything under his feet.?

G O S P E L

Luke 1:39-56

We are reminded of the selflessness of Mary in that she puts the needs of her cousin Elizabeth before her own. This selflessness characterizes Mary?s life and leads to the exclamation of Elizabeth that she, Mary, is blessed above all women. We should all seek to imitate her example of life and so respect her memory and be drawn more deeply into the love of God. Service is at the heart of loving a person. We should always seek ways in which we can be of service to those around us.

39 During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary?s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, ?Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.? 46 And Mary said: ?My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 48 For he has looked upon his handmaid?s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. 51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.? 56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

my reflections
think: Let us reflect on the selflessness of Mary.

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God?s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Jeremiah 37-41

When I was a little boy, there was a period when I never left my mother?s side. I would always tag along with her wherever she went. I remember at least once when I threw tantrums because my mother left me at home. I can still picture in my mind how I looked and acted that day.
      It is really different when mother is close by. Of course, when she leaves home she does not really totally leave it. She may be physically absent but still very much present in spirit. But being present in body and spirit is always the best. After being absent but a fraction of an hour, it never fails to ring a bell of joy to hear someone announce, ?She?s home!?
      The Most Blessed Virgin Mary is home now. She is with the Most Blessed Trinity ? her Father, her Son and her Spouse ? in both body and soul. Perhaps, on the day she was assumed into heaven, the angels announced, ?She?s home now!? We can only imagine the explosion of joy. We can only envision the divine ecstasy of the Triune God.
      Now it is Mary?s turn to wait for us in heaven. What has been fulfilled in her is a trustworthy promise to us. We will have our own assumption day. We will be home someday. We will live with her, the angels, the saints and, most of all, God, not as spirits but as embodied spirits. We will have a body. We will see God with our eyes, hear Him with our ears, smell Him with our nose, touch Him with our hands, and interact with Him with all our physical, as well as spiritual, faculties.
      We will be home someday.
      This is what the Blessed Mother?s assumption teaches us. We believe not only in the resurrection of the body, as we profess in the Apostles Creed; we also believe in the assumption of the body and soul. Thus, we prepare not only our souls but our bodies for that great homecoming. We respect our bodies because of the Assumption?s promise.
      We will be home someday. When that day comes, it will be the Blessed Mother?s turn to tell Jesus, ?They?re home now, my Son! They?re home now at last!? Fr. Bobby T.

REFLECTION QUESTION:
How do I regard my body in relation to my soul? What do I consider to be my true home?

"All powerful and ever-living God, You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of Your Son, body and soul to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.? (Opening Prayer of the Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Blessed Virgin Mary,Mother of God, pray for us.