One of my favorite courses in seminary was an elective class we had on the virtues and their corresponding vices. The virtues are the gifts we are given from God at our baptism and by virtue of being born into this world. Among them is the virtue of hope.

Hope as the virtue isn’t like the hope of a good outcome; like a Vikings win or winning the lottery or “hoping for the best.” The virtue can be summed up best as we have a hope for heaven, but we live out that future hope right here in this world in the here and the now. Think of “On earth as it is in heaven” which we say in the Lord’s Prayer; we try to live our lives bringing bits of heaven into this world through our actions.

Mary certainly personifies what hope is about. After that “yes” at the Annunciation, Mary lived out her faith in so many ways. In the Gospel for the Assumption, we see an example in the story of the Visitation, where Mary visits Elizabeth. She goes out of her way to help her cousin, not something she was required to do, but something she wanted to do. And as the years go by, Mary will always be close to her Son. And even on Good Friday, when the sword pierces her heart, she remains faithful to God. Her reward for this is sainthood, being assumed body and soul into heaven. Her uniqueness is being born without original sin; but she had free will her whole life, and her choice was trust. Commitment. Love. Dedication.

You won’t find the Assumption, which we celebrate this upcoming Saturday, in the Bible. This is where the big “T” comes in: Tradition. It was always celebrated for centuries and declared a dogma by Pius XII in 1950. Quite a good time for it if you look at history, with the world needing hope with wars raging, the Iron Curtain descending on Europe, and numerous problems all over the world with racism and violence. Pope Pius in declaring this dogma which was already held by our Church (for had Mary died and not been assumed, certainly the early Christians would have venerated her tomb) Pius gave the world a sign of hope – someone to look to.

So, what that means for us is to look to Mary, but to challenge ourselves. To not be content doing the bare minimum our faith requires, but to always ask ourselves how we can take it to the next level. How can I be better at how I live my faith. How can I be a person of charity and love. How can I overcome the nagging sins in my life. Like Mary, how can I be a sign of love in this world to all from those under my roof to the people at work and school to the new people I will meet. Inside us all is such power to be like Mary, the Theotokos or “God Bearer.”

Mary also does so much for us too to bring us closer to God. As someone in heaven who was always close to Jesus, we ask for her intercession. This is why we pray not “to” Mary but “through” Mary. We ask her to pray with us and to help us, much like we do with our earthly mothers too. Most Catholics know the words to the “Hail Mary,” but as such a familiar prayer it’s worth thinking about the actual words from time to time that we pray. Mary is holy and can help us become holy; Mary prays for us as sinners because she loves us; now and at the hour of our death meaning she is always with us as she was with Jesus. Mary is full of grace, and we are too with the Holy Spirit. The Lord is with her and is with us. Mary helped Jesus through so much in His life and the same is true with us.

Mary’s Assumption into heaven is the culmination of a life lived in faith, hope and love. Her whole life she was focused on heaven and while she literally brings the Son of God to us, she was anything but passive but constantly living out her vocation as a loving mother and doing so many things to bring God into the world in other ways. May we strive to follow her example living as she showed us – focused on heaven, while bringing heaven into this world through a life well lived.

Have a blessed week,

Fr. Paul

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August 9, 2026