As we celebrate this Feast of Assumption, the readings help us to recapture two significant events in the life of Mary, the first disciple of Jesus. In response to the good news received from the Angel Gabriel on Elizabeth, Mary immediately visited Elizabeth.

"Mary hears the word and acts on it. Her visit and stay with Elizabeth can be seen as one of the ways in which she becomes a servant of the Lord by becoming a servant of those in need." (Pope John Paul II in 'Redemptoris Mater', 37).

Do we reflect this faith and action in our daily life?

The hymn of praise in Magnificat celebrates God's revolution on behalf of the lowly, poor, rejected or 'anawim' of God. Mary highlighted the Church's preferential love for the poor.

It is said that Magnificat is a poetic interpretation of God's action in Jesus. This is precisely what many of our churches have done during the period of Movement Control Order (MCO). Their actions in reaching out to relieve the suffering of the hungry and needy are indeed heart-warming!

As we celebrate this feast, let us continue to imitate the example Mary has shown us. Her whole life was a total surrender to God's will by faithfully listening to God's word and acting upon it in her daily life.