Vol. 38   No. 46                  August 15, 2011                           Cycle  A     THE  ASSUMPTION  OF  MARY  &  INDEPENDENCE DAY  OF INDIA                      (Special Mass for India)                      He casts the mighty from their thrones, and raises the lowly   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON   A great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Rev 12:1) PENITENTIAL  RITE Today is a day of joy and celebration. We honour Mary’s crowning in heaven, and rejoice over the freedom of our Motherland. That we have the Assumption of Mary and the Independence of Day of our country together on the same date is a providential coincidence. Mary is the perfect symbol of freedom and independence. True freedom, Jesus teaches us, is freedom from sin (Jn 8:31ff). Of all human beings Mary is the only one who is completely free from sin—‘Our tainted nature’s solitary boast.’ As we jealously guard the independence of our nation from foreign domination, so let us keep ourselves free from all sorts of sin. For the times we have allowed our evil passion to overcome us, for the times we subjected ourselves to the slavery of sin, let us be sorry and ask for God’s mercy and pardon.  (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER O God, our heavenly Father, you freed Mary, assumed into heavenly glory, from the bond of death. May we, through her intercession, be worthy to share in that same glory. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ… FIRST READING (Judith risked her life to save her people and country from foreign domination, and she was successful in her mission. King Uzziah and the people rejoiced over the victory accomplished through Judith and they praised God and blessed her, saying: ‘You are the great pride of our nation’.) A reading from the Book of Judith   (13:18-20;15:9) And Uzziah said to Judith, “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to strike the head of the leader of our enemies. Your hope will never depart from the hearts of men, as they remember the power of God. May God grant this to be a perpetual honour to you, and may he visit you with his blessings, because you did not spare your own life when our nation was brought low, but have avenged our ruin, walking in the straight path before our God.” And all the people said, “So be it, so be it!” And when they met her they all blessed her with one accord and said to her, “You are the exaltation of Jerusalem, you are the great glory of Israel, you are the great pride of our nation!” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM    (1 Sam 2:1,4-7) Response: There is none holy like the Lord, there is no rock like our God. My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. SECOND READING (St Paul reminds the Galatians about the freedom they have received from Christ. And he exhorts them saying, that they should not allow any human passion to overcome them and they should not again become slaves to sin; but they should be led by the Spirit and through love be servants of one another.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Galatians   (5:1,13-17) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! All generations will call me blessed. Alleluia! (Lk 1:48) GOSPEL (‘The Magnificat’ of Mary reveals God as a great and mighty Liberator who comes to the help of the humble and the oppressed. Mary acknowledges the great things God in His mercy has done for her and to His chosen people, and praises Him.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke    (1:46-55) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.” This is the Gospel of the Lord   I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us thank our heavenly Father for Mary’s glorification and for the independence of our motherland. With confidence let us present to God all our needs, through the intercession of Mary, saying: Response: Lord, have mercy on your people. 1. For all Church leaders: that they may preach the Gospel of salvation by word and example. May your Spirit guide them in their pastoral ministry and help them to be genuine pastors of souls. 2. For all our government, civil and political leaders: that they may honestly and earnestly work to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and use all their resources and power for the development and prosperity of the entire people and the nation. 3. For people who live in bondage and oppression: that God may give them deliverance and healing; grant them grace to share in the fruits of Christ’s redemption and thus come to enjoy the freedom as the children of God. 4. For our neighbouring countries: that the Spirit of God may guide them in the right path and that they may give up their hatred and acts of violence, but follow the path of love, justice and peace. 5. For all Christians in our country: that Mary may inspire in them a greater generosity in following Christ. Today, specially we pray for those Christians of our country who are facing various trials on account of their faith; may they experience Spirit’s presence in their moments of sufferings and hardships. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for giving us Mary as our perfect model in discipleship and the freedom we enjoy as citizens of our country. Grant us the grace to imitate her humility and obedience, and surrender ourselves to your holy will, and to live as true citizens of our country and of your Kingdom. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Accept, O Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the gifts which your people have brought to your altar. May they become for us the sacrament of the fullness of life promised to us in the mystery of her glorification. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.   PREFACE Father all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is our wisdom and our strength, our holiness and our freedom and in his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we greet the first fruits of his saving work. She was freed from sin and death to be for us the hopeful sign of our own perfect liberation, and so, on this day of gladness, we praise your name with all the angels, and joyfully we sing: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON He has exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things. (Lk 1:52b-53a) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION We thank you, Lord, for these wondrous gifts through which, on this festal day, you fill our hearts with gladness. May they bring us to that freedom which you give to your children. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.       LITURGY AND LIFE As freedom is the fundamental right of a person, so independence is the fundamental right of a nation. As an individual cherishes and defends his freedom so does each nation cherish and defend its independence. It is this phenomenon that gives rise in citizens to values like loyalty and patriotism which give them strength even to lay down their lives for their country. Judith was a person who risked her life to save her country from foreign domination. She risked her life, cut off the head of the commander of the enemy army, succeeded in her mission and saved her people and her country. What enabled this woman, a widow, to perform this feat which no male, no warrior, no commander could perform? Her integrity of character, her moral strength, was her power. ‘My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure’, sang the poet. From the time her husband died a premature death, Judith had retired into a sort of ascetical life. She fasted often and prayed much. She did not allow her youth or beauty or wealth to have any sway over her. Such detachment will make anyone strong and powerful. To really succeed in any field the first requisite is uprightness of character. The corrupt and the wicked too often succeed, but their success does not last nor does their success do any good to fellow beings. On our Independence Day we naturally think of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. If it was the integrity of character and the moral strength of Judith that saved the Jewish nation from foreign domination, the same integrity of character and moral strength of Gandhiji liberated India from her vassalage. Mahatma Gandhi did not lead an army and fight battles to drive the Britishers out as George Washington did in America. He drove them out of India through non-violence, through his moral power which they found unconquerable. The moral strength of its people not only enables a nation to gain independence, but also helps it to grow and flourish. As long as they keep up the values of justice, equity, honesty, morality, their nation grows and continues to be strong, but once these values are lost, decadence sets in. This is the story of all the nations in history, all the empires. This is what is happening to countries and nations in our own days too. We see great and powerful nations being weakened, new countries coming up. Everybody can see that behind the decadence there is the collapse of morality, a lesson for both individuals and peoples. Amidst the rise and fall of nations, of individuals, there is one who knew only to rise and rise, and not to fall. From the moment of her conception Mary went on growing in strength, wisdom and grace. Her strength was her holiness and heavenly grace. This culminated in her Assumption and in her being crowned Queen of heaven and earth, sharing in the fullness of Christ’s glory. Mary is our spiritual Mother and she is the model of true freedom. Today we are invited to follow her example. —Fr Anselm Poovathani, ssp