Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to wish you a happy solemnity, a happy feast to all of
us, and especially to Moise and Alexis who are about to pronounce their first vows in the SJ. Moise
and Alexis let me tell you that you are very lucky, not many Jesuits have had the privilege to
pronounce their vows on this solemn day.
What do we mean by Assumption of the Virgin Mary? Though the New Testament does
not say much about the Assumption of the Virgin Mary but many apocryphal writings do narrate
the event as the Dormition of the Theotokos. In addition to that, Pope Pius XII sealed it when, in
his Munificentissimus Deus, dogmatically defined the doctrine of the Assumption of the Virgin
Mary, affirming that “it seems impossible to think of her, the one who conceived Christ, brought
him forth nursed him with her milk, held him in her arms, and clasped him to her breast, as being
apart from him in body, …, after this earthly life”.
“The Sovereign Pontiff gives two types of arguments to support this traditional belief: the
first type is from tradition and the second is theological. The tradition type has 4 reasons: 1) The
uninterrupted tradition about Mary’s death and Assumption starting from the first century; 2) The
belief expressed in all the ancient liturgies of the Church; 3) The negative evidence – the absence
and veneration of a tomb of Mary while most of the apostles have their tombs and 4). The possibility
of bodily assumption warranted in the Old Testament in the cases of Enoch (Genesis) and Elijah
(2 Kings). The second type is theological and has three reasons: 1). The degeneration or decay of
the body after death is the result of Original Sin. However, since, through a special intervention of
God, Mary was born without Original Sin (Immaculate Conception), it is not proper that God
would permit her body to degenerate in the tomb; 2) Since Mary was given the fullness of grace,
Heaven is the proper place for this sinless mother of Jesus, the tabernacle of the Lord; 3) Mary is
a co-redeemer with Christ in a unique sense. Hence, her rightful place is with Christ our Redeemer
in Heavenly glory.” Kizito Forbi, SJ
We can summarize all these arguments saying that “if the Immaculate Conception extends
the prologue of Mary’s story, her Assumption into heavenly glory extends the epilogue”.
Therefore, “Assumption is not only an extension of the story of Mary’s life, but an extension of
the story of Jesus’ bodily resurrection and ascension – an affirmation that his victory over death is
not his alone, but is something that we all share in. Mary, as the first disciple, is the first to receive
the crown of victory that is promised to all God’s saints” that we all are or ought to become
(Bauerschmidt, Frederick Christian). So, Mary’s Assumption is an indication, a forerunner sign of
our own bodily resurrection.
What all these have to do with the vows we are about to celebrate? Of course, the virgin
Mary has a lot to do with our vows. Because, in all the key moments of the life not only of Ignatius
but also of the SJ occurred on Marian feasts or at Marian sites:
• We all remember, after conversion, Ignatius’ vigil before the Black Madonna of Montserrat
on the eve of the Annunciation, 1522;
• The first companions pronounced their wows on this day 1534 at Montmartre. It was not
yet dogmatically defined but it was celebrated by many dioceses in the West and East.
• Ignatius’ first Mass in St. Mary Major in Rome in 1538.
• April 22, 1541, two weeks after Ignatius was elected as the SJ’s first General, he celebrated
Mass with the first companions at Our Lady’s altar in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-theWalls in Rome, during which all pronounced their solemn vows. It is on this day that we
commemorate the birth of the vowed Society and its dedication to Mary as its mother.
[Mary, Mother of the Society of Jesus]
• The first church that the Jesuits acquired was a small chapel named after “Our Lady of the
Way (Santa Maria della Strada)” which happens to be the name of the novitiate that
spiritually prepared you for this big day.
Coming back to the readings. The book of Revelation as we all know is a very interesting piece
full of images. Some exegetes think that chapter 12 of this book was written as a reference not
only to the Virgin Mary’s victory over death but also to her immortality “a great sign appeared in
the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, an on her head a crown of
twelve stars. Isn’t that beautiful? [In the Indo-European culture, the sun represents a supreme deity,
the moon represents the cycle of time which symbolizes eternity and immortality, and the twelve
stars are the great angels assigned to protect the Virgin Mary].
In the gospel, I would like us to reflect on two points:
1. Set out with haste … to go and serve. Let us all be eager to serve like her …
2. Elisabeth said, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the lord
would be fulfilled.” Unconditional yes of the virgin Mary. So, Mary’s greatness does not
come from her social status but on her silent/discreet submission to the will of God.
And this is what our own constitutions reiterates when they encourage us to have a silent
discretion, modesty, a certain edification, to be patient, to esteem others better than us, to reverence
and praise God in our deeds, etc. [Constitutions 244 &250]. Brothers, in this new life you have
just started you will see a lot, hear a lot, and will be called to speak a lot so silent discretion is key
if you want to follow the Virgin Mary’s example.
The same constitutions encourage us also to live out our unconditional yes to God by “obeying
entirely and promptly and maintain the true abnegation of our own wills and judgements”
[Constitutions 284]. No half measure when it comes to obedience as a Jesuit.
So, brothers, do not lose the momentum of your prayer, generosity, and humility and do not
worry for all of us here, in addition to Jesus who agreed to become a human being (meditation on
the incarnation no 102), to Abraham, Mary, Joseph, St Ignatius, Xavier, etc. have said yes to God.
May God give you the strength to be faithful to his call and may the Virgin Mary, our Lady of
Kibeho who happens to be the mother of the Society of Jesus accompany you all the way so that
one day your bodies and souls like hers may be taken into heavenly glory. Amen
[the 4th glorious mystery]