ZEPHYRINUS.: The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day, Today, 15 August.

English: The Assumption of The Virgin Mary.
Deutsch: Maria Himmelfahrt,
Hochaltar für St. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venedig.
Français: L'Assomption de la Vierge.
Artist: Titian (1490–1576).
Date: 1516-1518.
Current location: Institution:Santa Maria Gloriosa
dei Frari, Venice, Italy.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project:
10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Feast Day 15 August.

Double of The First-Class
with a Common Octave.

White Vestments.

On this Feast, the most ancient (6th-Century A.D.) and Solemn of The Cycle of Mary, The Church invites all her children in The Catholic World to unite their joy (Introit) and their gratitude (Preface) with those of The Angels, who praise The Son of God because of that day His Mother, Bodily and Spiritually, entered Heaven (Alleluia).

Admitted to the enjoyment of the delights of Eternal Contemplation, She chose at The Feet of The Master the better part, which shall not be taken away from Her (Gospel, Communion).

The Gospel of The Vigil was, indeed, formerly read after today's Gospel, in order to show that The Mother of Christ is happy among all others, because, better than all others: "She listened to The Word of God". This Word, The Word, The Divine Wisdom, which, under The Old Law, dwelt among the people of Israel (Epistle), dwelt in Mary, under The New Law.

“Mater Dolorosa”
(Mother of Sorrows).
Artist: Carlo Dolci (1616–1686).
Date: Circa 1650.
Current location: National Museum of Western Art,
Tokyo, Japan.
Source: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

The Word became Incarnate in the womb of The Virgin, and now, amid the splendour of the Heavenly Sion, He fills Her with the delights of The Beatific Vision.

The Church on Earth, like Martha, has to care for the necessities of this present life, but she also, like her, invokes the help of Mary (Collect, Secret, Postcommunion).

A Procession has always been a part of The Feast of The Assumption. At Jerusalem, it was formed by the numerous Pilgrims who came to Pray at the tomb of The Blessed Virgin and who, thus, contributed to the Institution of this Solemnity.

The Clergy of Constantinople also held a Procession on The Feast of The Rest, or Assumption, of Mary. At Rome, from the 7th-Century A.D., to the 16th-Century, the Papal Cortege, in which the representatives of The Senate and people took part, went on this day from The Church of Saint John Lateran to that of Saint Mary Major. This Ceremony was called The Litany.

[On this occasion, they used to recite over the people, assembled for the Procession, the Collect for Assumption Day, which is first in The Sacramentary and mentions this Mystery, whilst our Collect of The Mass on 15 August was only The Second Collect and has no direct relation to The Feast.

This is The First Collect: "It is our duty to honour The Solemnity of this day, O Lord; The Holy Mother of God did, indeed, suffer temporal death, although the bonds of this death could not hold back Her, whose flesh formed The Body of Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth . . ."]

It is in The Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome, that The Station is held at Christmas to Solemnise The Mystery, from which flowed all The Glories of The Virgin, and it is also there that was Solemnised The Assumption, in which they culminate. Mary received Jesus, when He came into this World, and it is Jesus Who receives Mary into Heaven.

Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

The Introit for The Feast of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Gaudeámus omnes in Dómino . . . (Let us all rejoice in The Lord, . . .) is that of The Feast of Saint Agatha (5 February).

From the 11th-Century, this Introit was also used in seven other Masses which are in The Missal, among which are 15 August (today's Feast) and 1 November (Feast of All Saints).

Mass: Gaudeámus omnes.

Creed.

Preface: Of Our Blessed Lady. “Et te in Assumptióne”.