Two men grew up together. They were neighbors, classmates in a school all the way to college, and became business partners. They did fairly well in their small retail business.

One day, an American businessman had a million-dollar business proposition with many attractive benefits. Hundreds rushed into investing their money. Thinking of earning millions in such a short time got the two friends quarreling.

Friend #2 was skeptical and wanted to study the business more. But Friend #1 withdrew his share in their business and  invested all of his money in the big company. In six months, the latter grew big and popular. But after that, it slowly floundered and, two years later, declared  bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, the small retail business expanded and grew into a million-dollar enterprise. It was a hard lesson. Mary’s example teaches us to delight in humble beginnings. Because God keeps His promise to His faithful ones.

Chelle S. Crisanto (ellehcmaria@gmail.com)

reflect

Not everything that’s beautiful glows. Who would have known that a young insignificant girl like Mary would be called “blessed among women” and bear the Son of God?

Lead me, Lord, to say yes to You even when what I see seems uncertain and scary. Call me, Lord, because I want to be chosen.

Saint Alipius, pray for us.

First Reading | Revelations 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant contained the tablets of stone from Mount Sinai, the manna, and Aaron’s rod that blossomed. It was carried through the wilderness and later placed in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem. Two angels with outstretched wings covered the top of the Ark. In the New Testament, the Virgin Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant as she carried in her womb the Son of God who brings the gift of salvation to the people of God.

¹⁹ 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 tailswept 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. 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 One.”

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

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

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

Second Reading | 1 Corinthians 15:20-27

The first fruits ripen before the main crop. Jesus is the first to rise from the dead, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, being without sin, is the first fruit of His resurrection. Hence, the Church has always believed that Mama Mary was taken up body and soul to heaven at the moment of her death. In the Assumption, we have a foretaste of what we will experience when Jesus comes again in glory.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. 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 first fruits; 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.” 

Gospel | Luke 1:39-56

In today’s Gospel, the image of Mary going up to a town in Judah and being greeted with great joy by her cousin Elizabeth harks back to the story in the book of Samuel, where King David accompanied the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. With the coming of the Ark, God’s presence came to His people. With the coming of Mary, God came to visit Elizabeth and the child in her womb was filled with the Holy Spirit and leaped for joy as King David did.

Gospel Acclamation

Mary is taken up to heaven; a chorus of angels exults.

³⁹ 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, “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 lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: 49 the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. ⁵⁰ He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. ⁵¹ He has shown the strength of his arm, and scattered the proud in their conceit. ⁵² He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. ⁵⁴ He has come to help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, ⁵⁵ the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and to his children forever.” ⁵⁶ Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Read the Bible in one year! Read ISAIAH 1 - 4 today.

The Theatre of the Absurd has a hands-down winner—Waiting for Godot. Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, waited every day beside a tree for a man named Godot. Godot sends word every day that he would come in the morrow, but nothing happens. 

This prime representative of the Theatre of the Absurd makes much of nihilism, of existential loneliness, of meaninglessness and futility in general. It suggests the futility of holding on to hope even when it seems meaningless and useless.

Much of the world today is caught up in the throes of something similar. 

The Philippines experiences the seeming hopelessness about the political culture, now deeply mired in dynastic politics, where no more than a few hundred families call the shots which, of course, everyone loves to refer to as “public service.” Some big guy even suggested last year that the Philippine Congress has become the most corrupt in the world.

Every time elections come around, it looks like we are all “waiting for Godot,” that is, waiting for nothing. But we have a choice today between “waiting for nothing” and “making things happen.” We need to take it upon ourselves to do right: rebuke the wrongdoer, call upon others to stand witness, and call upon the Church—the people of faith who, together, can make things happen.

I have been an educator for almost fifty years now. And while it was easier to teach decades ago—and things are now a whole lot different on account of the call-out and cancel culture and the ideology of woke-ism—I have never for once lost hope in the power of words and the power of the Word.

I continue to hold on, for “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst!”

Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

reflection question

What are you waiting for and hoping to happen in your life?  

Lord, I believe in the power of prayer. I have hope that all my waiting will not be in vain. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _______________________________