Lk. 1: 39-56
“Testimony of hope: The spiritual exercises of John Paul II,” written by Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan. It is considered a spiritual classic and has become a source of hope for millions, especially all those who are under oppression. This book narrates his experience of perseverance by keeping alive his faith behind the iron bars. He was a political prisoner of the communist regime in Vietnam. He was imprisoned for thirteen years. He had an ardent Marian devotion. He associates his personal destiny with his Marian devotion. When he was studying in Rome, he visited Lourdes and was deeply moved by the words of Mother Mary to St. Bernadette: “I do not promise you joy and consolations on this earth, but trials and sufferings.” He felt that these words were addressed to him also. On returning to Vietnam, he became a professor at the seminary. Then he took charge as the rector of the Seminary. Afterwards, he was appointed as Vicar general and, later, Bishop of Nha Trang. He made it a point to visit Lourdes every year and during those visits he used to think to himself that those words were addressed to St. Bernadette and not to him. However, his inner voice became true when he was arrested by the government on August 15, 1975, on the feast of the assumption of the blessed mother. Then he understood that Virgin Mary had been preparing him for this tough experience since 1975.
He associates his own liberation as a gift from the Virgin Mary. He prayed to the Virgin Mary in the following words: “Mother, if you see that I can no longer be useful to your Church, grant me the grace to consume my life in prison. Otherwise, allow me to leave prison on one of your feasts.”
One day, he heard the telephone ringing in the prison office. It was 21 November, the feast of the presentation of Mary in the temple. Immediately, a guard came to him and asked him, Did you finish your lunch? Not yet! The guard instructed him to make himself presentable after lunch because the chief wanted to meet him. The chief asked him: ‘Do you have any desire to express?’ The Bishop told him: ‘Yes, Sir. I want my freedom. ’ The chief asked him: ‘when?’ He replied: ‘Today. The chief was slightly surprised and told him: “It is impossible today because leaders needed time to discuss the formalities of prison release.” The Bishop was not ready to give up hope. He said: “I have been in prison for a long period of time. Sir, I have been in prison for too long—under three pontificates: those of Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II; and besides that, under four Secretary Generals of the Soviet Communist Party: Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, and Gorbachev!” After hearing his sincere request, the chief nodded his head and laughed. “You are very true.” He commanded his subordinates to do whatever possible to fulfill his desire. Thus, he was freed on the feast day of Mother Mary to begin a new chapter of his life in freedom… ” He concluded his testimony with the following words: “I rejoiced! Mary had freed me. Thanks be to you, dear Mother! Happy Feast Day! ”
The feast of assumption is an invitation to mediate the supreme ideals of human life that each one of us is called to grow into. It is our indelible faith that Mary was assumed into heaven with her entire being. She was graced by the Lord to be immaculate and to be freed from the clutches of original sin; a grace that she inherited by being a decisive collaborator with God in salvation history by being the mother of the Son of God. This meritorious grace assisted Mary to live each and every moment with an intense passion for her creator without succumbing to sin that alienates a person from the love of his/her creator. Mary experienced an internal freedom that enabled her to respond to God’s will always positively. Her life was a series of challenges, one after the other. Yet she was not lost in the anxiety concerning the uncertainty of her future, but she knew that the Lord was the author of her future.
Today’s gospel passage invites us to dwell deep into the depths of her personhood. We could summarize her life in her supreme love for God and for her fellow brethren. When God demanded her life for his mission, she gave her whole hearted fiat. When she comes to know from the angel that her maternal aunt is carrying a child, she goes in haste to serve her. Elizabeth did not invite Mary to serve her. Mary could very well have remained in her home thinking that she is going to be the mother of the Son of God. Therefore, let others come and serve her. Elizabeth recognized Mary’s humility and explained ‘why this has happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me?’ (Lk. 1: 43) Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord… (Lk. 1:45) Mary’s presence led Elizabeth and her baby to a God experience. Both of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. The humanity which was enslaved by the yoke of sin, experienced the foretaste of perfect freedom through her presence.
Mary sings the Magnificat. It can be considered the perfect hymn of thanks giving. The humble handmaid of the Lord recognizes the mightiness of Yahweh in her life and in the history of humanity. Even in the midst of her future uncertainties, her filial faith could see the future that the Lord was going to present her with: “From now on, all generations will call me blessed…” (Lk. 1:48) and the perfect freedom that he is going to gift to those who seek him whole heartedly. “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.”(Lk. 1: 52)
Thus, it becomes a perfect song of liberation. God created her immaculate. Her detachment from sinful inclinations enabled her to grow in freedom. Finally, she said yes to God’s will. The first Eve failed in her obedience to God because she succumbed to the tempter and went against God’s will and his love. Mary, the New Eve, remained the humble and faithful handmaid of the Lord. She could achieve the heights of freedom that God designed for humanity during her earthly sojourn. Her assumption into heaven with her entire being testifies to it. The commemoration of her assumption is a reminder for all of us, concerning our ultimate end, which is our union with God, with our whole being in perfect freedom. Like Mary, let us rely on God’s grace and try to grow in our virtue of freedom by detaching ourselves from our inclination to sin, so that we may be blessed to glorify God with our life…
It is providential that we commemorate our independence day on the solemnity of the assumption of Mary, who is our heavenly patroness. Therefore, we can be sure that she will guide our destiny. We freed ourselves from the slavery of British seventy five years ago. However, even today we remain slaves to communism, regionalism, caste system, etc. Due to these factors that divide us, we fail to grow as a nation. Let us come out of these dehumanizing tendencies that destroy our diversity and secularism. May Blessed Virgin Mary assist our nation’s destiny to realize the dream of our freedom fighters. May all of us be freed from all that enslaves us within and grow as good citizens that care and empower our fellow citizens.