Blessing

Less than two weeks ago we celebrated the greatest of all feasts dedicated to Mary: that of her assumption into heaven. One ancient custom associated with the feast is the blessing of herbs, especially in German speaking lands.

According to the Directory of Popular Piety the custom “represents a clear example of the genuine evangelisation of pre-Christian rites and beliefs: one must turn to God (…) in order to obtain what was formerly obtained by magic rites”.

As early as the 10th century people would bring all kinds of cultivated and wild flowers to church on the day of Mary’s assumption. In some places the custom is continued until this day. The herbs are held by the congregation or placed on the altar while the priest blesses them before Mass.

One of the prayers from the Roman Ritual:

God, who on this day raised up to highest heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that by her prayers and patronage you might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of her womb, your very Son;
we humbly implore you to help us use these fruits of the soil for our temporal and everlasting welfare, aided by the power of your Son and the prayers of His glorious Mother; through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Full blessing in Rituale Romanum

Dutch procession

Procession in Volendam, the Netherlands

A Dutch painting from 1900 by Nico Jungmann depicting a candle procession in the village Volendam after a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Kevelaer in Germany.

Volendam is a popular tourist destination not far from Amsterdam, known for its picturesque houses and the traditional costume still worn by some locals.

Less known is the fact that Volendam is traditionally very Catholic in an otherwise Protestant region. The people of Volendam have always had a stubborn nature and refused to accept Protestantism after the Reformation. Off and on Protestantism did have some influence on the town’s religious life but this never lasted long. In a 1949 census 98.1 percent of the population called themselves Catholic.

Volendam’s loyalty to the Catholic faith goes hand in hand with devotion to Mary. It has since long been a tradition to make pilgrimages to Kevelaer. One of the town’s parish churches is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and all ships leaving and entering the harbour of Volendam are greeted by a statue of Mary. Not only does she protect the people of the town, she also watches over those who sail the waters.

Protection

Queenship

Coronation of the Virgin by Charonton

Today, one week after the feast of Mary’s assumption, we celebrate that Mary is the Queen of Heaven. In the Hebrew tradition the mother of a king is referred to as queen. As Christ is the King of Heaven it is therefore fitting to call Mary the Queen of Heaven.

In art Mary’s role as Queen of Heaven is most clearly expressed in pictures of her coronation. Often she is depicted receiving a crown from her Son, who sits by her side.

On Charonton’s painting we see her being crowned by the Holy Trinity. The angels and the saints watch the glorious event, while the people on earth and below (purgatory) are reminded of their salvation through the Cross and the powers of Mary’s intercession.

Compassion

Onze Lieve Vrouw van Medelijden

A late Gothic statue in the Franciscan church (Minderbroederskerk) in the Belgian city Sint-Truiden, Belgium.

This image of Mary is venerated under the title of Our Lady of Compassion. It has been adorned with crowns, a sceptre and a rosary.

Church info

Assumption Mass

The altar of Our Lady in the Brompton Oratory in London.

The altar was adorned for the High Mass for the feast of Mary’s assumption yesterday.

Assumption

Assumpta est Maria in caélum!

Mary has been taken up into heaven: the angels rejoice. The angels praise and bless the Lord.

Mediatrix

Tomorrow the Church celebrates the great feast of Mary’s assumption into heaven.

In 1950 the assumption was proclaimed a dogma. At the time psychologist Carl Gustav Jung commented on the religious and psychological significance of this event in his book ‘Answer to Job’:

“One could have known for a long time that there was a deep longing in the masses for an intercessor and mediatrix who would at last take her place alongside the Holy Trinity and be received as the ‘Queen of heaven and Bride at the heavenly court.’
(Mary’s) position satisfies a renewed hope for the fulfillment of that yearning for peace which stirs deep down in the soul, and for a resolution of the threatening tension between opposites.”

The assumption in ‘Answer to Job’

Lourdes Vuitton

This recent work by designer Francesco De Molfetta is entitled ‘Lourdes Vuitton’.

The artist explains that he adorned the Virgin Mary in a Louis Vuitton patterned garment to “denounce a society based on the cult of appearance through the use of a brand that represents the search for ephemeral happiness.”

The artwork is currently on display at the Isola del Gran Sasso in Abruzzo, Italy.

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