August 15th through the years: some trivia...
August 15th, 1549: St Francis Xavier arrived in Japan
August 15th, 1945: The end of World War II in Asia (with the unconditional surrender of Japan)
...
August 15th, 2005: I attended my first Mass in German during the feast of Maria Himmelfährt in Düsseldorf
(Updated) August 15th, 2006: I am 'liberated' from a hitherto unknown bondage, Deo gratias!
Magnificat anima mea Dominum
But most importantly... on August 15th, we celebrate the joyous occasion of Our Lady's assumption, body and soul, into Heaven. What a great hope it gives to all of us in the church militant to remember that a humble creature (albeit immaculate) is so honored by the Lord! Her mantra, simple lines we repeat in the Angelus daily, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to Thy word", echoed through the ages to help us in our struggle with our earthly desires for temporal achievements, suffering anxiety through it all. Mary taught us how to live in complete trust, as one who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. Her life was not easy, but great is the reward for she who trusted in the Lord and prayed!
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
Tonight I'm experiencing a newfound feeling of freedom and pondering its meaning. Mother of God, handmaid of the Lord, pray for us!
4 comments:
Might I add:
15 August 1534: St. Ignatius of Loyola and six others (including St. Francis Xavier) , took vows of chastity and poverty on Montmartre, Paris, and founded the Society of Jesus.
Yeah, that too :)
Thank you :) I still go to work after that, but I realize life is different now.
And a typo there, it was on August 15th!
There is a big difference between that time and this time. People are now very skeptical and prone to get negative even after just one failure in life.
Regards,
Brano Willis
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