This weekend on Saturday, August 15, we celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. Mary was assumed into Heaven, Body and Soul. This coming Saturday, August 22, is when we celebrate the Queenship of Mary. These are the fourth and fifth Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. Now we have to remember that we worship the Trinity and honor the saints. In praying the Rosary, we honor Mary, and give praise to the Trinity. Some may say, why not just praise and worship the Trinity. Well, in honoring the saints, whose lives were all about praising the Trinity (their lives in Heaven are still all about praising God), we praise God along with the saints and angels in Heaven. Honoring a saint never takes away from praising God, and so often honoring saints reminds us that we can make it to Heaven. They also show us examples of how to live our lives. Saints are living models for us! So having these two feast days of Mary (the Assumption & the Queenship of Mary) remind us to praise God. And they also remind us to ask Mama, Mary for her intercession which was her role on earth and is still her role in Heaven. All the saints want to intercede for us before God that we may be prepared to meet the Lord on the day that He calls us home.
Fr. Thomas P. Galarneault