Commentary of the Gospell for August 15, 2024

August 15, 2024

In the middle of August, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Officially, this has been recognized as dogma since 1950, but the tradition and faith of Christians show that it was already celebrated in the 4th century. Images of the Assumption have been venerated in our churches for centuries.

The whole Liturgy for this day is overflowing with joy. We’re not only happy about the exaltation of the Mother of Jesus, but also because, in her Assumption, she reaffirms our faith in our own resurrection of the flesh, as we recite in the Creed.

Mary is also shown to us as the archetype of the Church, the body of Christ, victorious over evil and death in the prodigious image from the Book of Revelation, full of symbols: “A great sign appeared in heaven…”.

In Europe today, which is suffering an accelerated process of de-Christianization, few people know what the twelve stars of the European Union flag mean. Arsène Heitz, who co-designed the European flag in 1955, said his inspiration was the reference to the crown of twelve stars from the Book of Revelation. He was a devout Catholic who belonged to the Order of the Miraculous Medal. Most of the founders of the European Union, Konrad Adenauer, Jacques Delors, Alcide de Gasperi, and Robert Schuman, were also devout Catholics. Perhaps today is a good day to ask for the protection of Our Lady over this troubled Europe.  

Virginia Fernández