Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption August 15, 2004 Luke 1:39-56 Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab 1 Corinthians 15:20-27	Listen to Audio

William Wordsworth, the celebrated Protestant English poet of two centuries ago, spoke of Mary as “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Perhaps we cannot understand what the feast we are celebrating today is all about unless we in some way come to terms with what “our tainted nature” really means. We can’t really understand God’s work unless we are willing to understand – and accept – the field in which God works, which is “our tainted nature,” traditionally referred to as “original sin.”

I realize that “original sin” is not a popular concept these days, even in some theological circles, and the traditional images of original sin do leave much to be desired for most rational people. But there is a core element in the doctrine of original sin that does resonate with our experience. Look around us, and it’s obvious that forces of evil are everywhere beyond our capacity to successfully overcome. Look within, and so often we find ourselves in some way locked into bad, sinful choices. Whether theoretically we could avoid evil and do good consistently may be debatable, but the reality for all of us is that we don’t. We always get tripped up in some way. Left to our own devices, apparent progress always seems followed by discouraging regress.

This feast is all about God’s work, in Mary and in us, to overcome the evil that we know so well by experience, and enable the good that we want so much – culminating in the ultimate good of eternal union with God. What God has done in Mary is a down-to-earth, very human sign of what God does – or desires to do if we let him – in us.

To catch a small glimpse of what this work of God might be, which we traditionally term “salvation,” I’d like you to imagine yourself in the situation I’m going to describe. It’s not a unique situation, and a reality in many families. You are an older child in a family, and you become aware that your parent appears to love a younger sibling more than you. How do you know this? Well, the parent gives more attention and spends more time with your younger sibling than with you. Not only that, but your parent often asks you to give up things and to care for the child at times when you would rather do something else. Of course, you know that the younger child is suffering from some sort of disability or weakness that has special needs and requires special care. Do you feel deprived, or do you feel that you are special because you have an opportunity to join in with your parent’s love for your sibling?

I think this example can give an insight into God’s saving work. We start with an awareness of God’s love, but God’s love cannot be complete until we move from being recipients to being participants, until our awareness of being God’s beloved expands into being one with God’s love for all God’s children, our brothers and sisters. Like Mary, our being is fulfilled when God’s love can work through us so that we become a sign in action to others of how much God loves them too. Then our tainted nature too – tainted with self-centeredness and pride – can even boast with Mary: “God who is mighty has done great things in me.”

© 2004 Thomas Welbers