Our Lady Of Hope
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The Atomic Age is an age of despair. In defining the dogma of the Assumption, the Church has given us a great sign of hope to help us overcome our despair. Men have turned away from God more and more since the end of the Middle Ages. At present the advances of science have given rise to the false philosophy that “we do not need God”.
The atom bomb is one of the supreme ironies of history. Science was to bring us a heaven on earth; instead it has done the opposite; instead of solving all our problems, science has handed us an overwhelmingly great one that we despair of ever solving. The atom bomb is not the only cause of the pessimism in our age—nor even the basic cause—but it is symbolic of our age.
Our optimism at the advance of science was completely wrong, because it left out God; our pessimism is just as wrong for the same reason. True, we cannot solve our problems by ourselves, but we are not expected to do so. The God who created us, the God who died for us, is still watching over us and caring for us. He will help us if we turn to Him. It is Mary’s role to lead us to God. Mary’s Assumption is a great sign of hope in an age of despair.
Mary lived on this earth just as we are doing now—this makes it easy to approach her. She who is in Heaven body and soul, is our Mother; she is also the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven. As our Mother, she has a great love for us; as the Mother of Jesus, God, and the Queen of Heaven, she has the power to help us. What we ask in her name, she will obtain for us. With God everything is possible, and God can refuse His Mother nothing. There is no reason for despair as long as we have such a powerful Mother and Queen.
The Assumption reminds us our goal is not on this earth, but in Heaven. No matter how great our troubles may seem, they will last only a short time. If we live according to God’s laws, our bodies will be in Heaven some day—reunited with our souls. The Resurrection of Mary forecasts the resurrection of each one of us.
Bishop Fulton Sheen claims that within three decades the definition of the Assumption will cure the pessimism and the despair of the modern world. There is every reason to think this forecast will come true, if we turn to Mary, for she will bring the modern world back to God.
Mary is our Light, our Sweetness and our HOPE. This may be the atomic age, but it is also the Age of Mary. Let us act our age. When Mary comes into her own, there will be no place for pessimism, no place for despair. Mary is truly OUR LADY OF HOPE!
