Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
Massimo Palombella
The Dogma, the truth of faith, about the Assumption of Mary into heaven was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on 1 November 1950 with the Apostolic Constitution ‘Munificentissimus Deus‘. This dogma is the last one historically defined in the Church.
Celebrating Mary’s “Assumption into Heaven” is an invitation to question ourselves about the true quality of our lives. In fact, our humanity is intrinsically enabled to “see God”, and this native “enablement” becomes reality in the choices we make through the exercise of our freedom. Our choices slowly allow our true identity to take shape, that form which is “life in abundance”, which has the taste of eternity, that form which makes our life more and more worth living each day.
The Gradual for today’s celebration is taken from Psalm 44 (Ps 44:11, 12, 5) with the following text:
Audi, filia, et vide, et inclina aurem tuam:
quia concupivit rex speciem tuam.
Specie tua, et pulchritudine tua intende, prospere procede, et regna.
Hearken, O daughter and see, incline your ear;
for the king greatly desires your beauty.
With your comeliness and your beauty, set out, proceed victoriously and reign.
The attached music, in Gregorian chant, is taken from the Graduale Triplex published in Solesmes in 1979. The interpretation is by the ‘Choeur des moines de l’Abbaye de Solesmes’ conducted by Dom Jean Claire. The musical track can be found on the CD ‘Vierge Marie’ published by Decca Records France in 1972.
A blessed Solemnity and heartfelt greetings.
