Parish Message for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Parishioners,
On 8 May this year, we celebrated the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. In fact, there are some parishioners who remember that day when the War in Europe came to an end. Winston Churchill marked the day with these words:
Now we have emerged from one deadly struggle – a terrible foe has been cast on the ground and awaits our judgment and our mercy.
But there is another foe who occupies large portions of the British Empire, a foe stained with cruelty and greed – the Japanese.
This Sunday marks the 75th Anniversary of the end of the final act of struggle in the Second World War – VJ Day or Victory in the Pacific Day. I believe that there will be some events shown on the television this weekend, and I invite you to take a moment of contemplation and silence to remember those who served in the Forces in the Far East.
As an American, the Second World War began for us after the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, followed by a declaration of War the following day – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Although the Solemnity of the Assumption was not established until 1950, it is interesting that the War began and ended on Solemnities that referred to an understanding of the mission of the Theotokos (Mother of God). These Solemnities take an insight of the salvation that God has for each of us, a gift of the beauty of life, its disfigurement due to sin, and the redemption and renewal of our human state offered through Christ.
My aim in this message is not to give a theological exposé, but to see how far the extent of destruction can exist when we do not fully take into account the dignity of our redeemed human state. The horrors of the Second World War – the Holocaust and concentration camps, the nuclear bomb, and the torture suffered by many in the War – are evidence of loss of direction in following our human dignity.
On this Assumption Day, let us ask through the intercession of Our Mother, the Queen of Peace, that we may see the beauty of who we are and that one day true peace may dwell on this Earth.
Fr. Carlos