Honoring Mary in her Assumption

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION - THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

On our last day in Israel (Day 9), we visited Dormition Abbey.

Basilica of the Dormition, Jerusalem, Israel

This is where Mary fell asleep.

When we entered the upper church, we were in a huge room with 3-4 story ceiling.  The entire church is loaded with symbolism!

Inside the Basilica of the Dormition

Every step I took was over a huge mosaic of the zodiac, which surprised/shocked me at first.  Guess I've been living in the protestant bible belt too long!  LOL!  But that's another story for another time.  The brochure says the floor is designed to show God's love for us.

Mosaic floor in the Basilica's ground floor

The main altar was a dome filled with a gorgeous gold mosaic of the Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus.

Surrounding the room were 6 smaller altars, each one domed and most dominated by a lovely mosaic.

Each one was just gorgeous!  Think of all the work and love that went into placing each tile to honor our Lord!  It was spectacular!

Several of them also had these beautiful copper plates below them, I wonder if some of them were tabernacles?  Not sure.

Next we proceeded down a circular staircase into the crypt.  We entered another large, circular room with a gazebo-type structure in the middle which held a sarcophagus-looking statue of Mary looking like she was asleep.  It looked like she was lying in state.

The outside of the low wall had a kneeler around it and entire area was surrounded by praying pilgrims.  There were prayer candles and a giant single vase of white lilies.

Mary's hands were folded over her heart and the artist had captured a very restful and peaceful look on her face with the slightest hint of a Mona Lisa smile.

I knelt for a moment and although I don't remember what my prayers were, I hope I said a word of thanksgiving to Our Lady for leading me back to my faith.  Her intercession to me was like a nuclear blast to the luke-warm Catholic I was at the time, and I will always be indebted to her for waking me up and setting my heart on fire for the Lord.

I did light a candle for my own prayer intentions.  I love doing that.  I know it might seem silly to some, but I like doing something tangible and thinking of my prayer rising to heaven with the invisible heat.

As I then wandered around the Crypt, I saw that there were multiple small domed altars surrounding this room also.  Again, they were just beautiful.

I was here that I came across my most favorite artwork of Mary & Elizabeth embracing, which I call the Mystery Painting of Dormition Abbey.

The brochure states "The first two altars on the northern wall have no particular design so far -".   I guess that is a matter of opinion!

I have always had a special love for Mary (but then again, don't we all?).

My first name is Kathleen, which does not have a patron saint at all, so I have always claimed St. Catherine Labouré as my own, who received the Miraculous Medal from Our Lady.  My middle name is Marie, a derivative of Mary.  And to top it all off, as a 5th grader making my Confirmation (don't even get me started about how I don't agree with that young age!), I took the name Bernadette and made her my patron after watching the movie Song of Bernadette.   Additionally, I made my First Holy Communion at St. Mary's Catholic School, another indication in my young mind that I was a special child of Our Lady.  I have never doubted that she was my mother or considered any other possibility other than I had a special connection to her.  To this day I still have the little plastic statue of Our Lacy of Peace which I won in 3rd grade for reciting the Hail Mary for Sister Bernadette beside my bed.

Don't be alarmed at Mary's burnt face, that is just the result of my 12-year-old-self burning incense to honor Mary at my small bedroom altar.  (really just the statue on top of the beautiful, shiny, jet-black Japanese jewelry box with beautiful inlay my parents gave me when I was in 4th grade, which I have passed on to one of my kids).

Mary always stood on top, with a little vase of flowers now and then, and when incense got so popular in the early 70's I did enjoy choosing the various "flavors" and burning it at my little altar.  I obviously didn't have a proper holder, and standing the little stick up in a bottle didn't work since it fell over and burned poor Mary's face.  After that I started buying the cone-shaped kind!  Haha!  She has stood in my bedroom ever since I won her in 3rd grade.

Nowadays my little statue is still in my bedroom, but my little altar has grown just a little from the days of standing on a jewelry box (and looks a bit busy!).  I'm sure Mary is much happier now to be in her rightful place beside her son and not in the center any longer.  You can always count of Mary to humbly stand at any crossroads in your life and point the way to her son.

As I walked around the crypt it didn't really sink in that this was the place that Mary left this Earth. God had to take her, body and soul, as she was the most blessed vessel by which his son had entered into this world.  It would have been disrespectful to allow her boy to be corrupt.  And so she is the first of us to be in heaven as we all will be one day.  She is fully there in every way.  It is a wonderful gift that God allows her to appear and give us messages of hope and love for humankind.  And it is a true miracle that he allowed her to send a sign (wake-up!) directly to me!

I found this beautiful artwork on the internet and thought it was just wonderful and reminded me so much of the Crypt of the Basilica of the Dormition!

 

Oh Mary, Mother of God, how we honor you today!  How we love you and want to be like you!  Please  continue to pray for us and guide us each and every day!

2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day 9

Dormition Abbey's Mystery Painting

ADVENT

I love this painting!!

Just look at them. They are so joyful! They are so happy!

When I got home and was looking at my pictures, this one was between two different places I visited and I couldn't remember where it was taken! Egads!!!! Was it the last picture I took here, or the first picture I took there...???

So I began to search. And I guess no one else was as enchanted with it as I was, because several days on Google (and I'm a pretty good searcher!) only turned up one single photo of it. The photo was labeled "Lower Chapel in the the Basilica of Dormition".

So at least I wasn't nuts! And I was able to concentrate my search. But I am still baffled! I cannot find out anything about it. I was most surprised that the brochure I got at the Basilica did not mention it. Although it did mention every single other side altar in the Chapel and the Crypt, the only thing I can find that even begins to match my memory is the statement "The first two altars on the northern wall have no particular design so far..." I can only guess that the brochure is from before this painting was done, and it's just temporary until another altar mosaic is installed! Heaven forbid!! !!!

The Dormition Abbey has been renamed the Hagia Maria Sion Abbey. I've also seen it called the Basilica of Dormition and Church of the Dormition. So good luck if you are trying to find it on Google! LOL!

But just look at Mary and Elizabeth in this painting.

They were kin. Some references say kinswoman. So they knew each other, were related. Maybe they didn't see each other often since they lived in different towns. My goodness, it was approximately 100 miles from Nazareth to Ein Kerem! Maybe that made any time the were together that much sweeter. They loved each other and enjoyed being together. Even though Elizabeth was much older than Mary, they were friends.

Now Mary finds out from the Angel Gabriel that she is to bare the Savior, the Messiah! Wow! She must have been elated!!

Mary also knows that her beloved relative Elizabeth is also pregnant, has been blessed with a miracle!

"She sent with haste to a Judian town in the hill country". Lk. 1:39. With haste. She is going quickly to Elizabeth. She is overjoyed at her news and wants to share it with her friend, her kinswoman. Plus, she is so happy for Elizabeth to have conceived in her old age! Maybe she is just twitching with excitement! Oh the miles must have seemed endless as Mary made her way to Ein Kerem to see her!

There, in the distance! She sees Zacharia's house! Does her step quicken? Does her heart? Is she becoming breathless with her excitement?

And then there is Elizabeth, calmly going about her daily routine. She has no idea Mary is on her way. No email, no phone, no letter. She doesn't know her young family member is so close!

The news of her pregnancy is no longer a shock to her or Zacharia, but at 6 months pregnant she is never without a constant reminder of the miracle! Other mothers know, the width of your stomach out in front, bumping into things, making your clothes tight, catching every spill! The pressure on your back at night, on your bladder all the time, the new always-tired feeling. At 6 months, she can already feel his movement.

And she knows her baby is a boy! Stop and think how astounding that was 2000 years ago!!! It's a boy, and his name is John. She is secure in that knowledge because her faith is great.

And like any woman who carries a baby, especially a first-time mother of her extraordinary circumstances, she must bask in her pregnancy. Just revel in every little change to her body. She basks in it; wears the knowing smile of having a delightful secret. Being in constant touch with an invisible visitor that only she can hear and feel, only she is aware of.

Maybe she is sweeping or grinding something or sewing...maybe doing her daily work a bit mindlessly, daydreaming about her baby, maybe humming to herself and to John. Does she stop now and then to rub her belly? Even in her old age, I'll bet she has no complaints for any backaches or fatigue. She doesn't care because her dream of having a baby is coming true! Her prayers have been answered! Any discomfort will be brushed aside as nothing compared to the ache of an empty womb. She is the miracle of motherhood.

Then, Elizabeth hears something, a visitor! And she recognizes Mary's voice immediately and her heart leaps with joy -no wait -it's the baby!! And Elizabeth has full immediate knowledge! Mary will bare the Messiah! Little Mary is to be the mother of the Savior of Israel! The answer to thousands of years of prayers of her people! The time has come and a Deliverer is on the way! Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and with happiness and joy!

She grabs Mary in a loving embrace and blesses Mary! With just a few words from Elizabeth, Mary knows that she understands and believes. The two of them - how blessed they are, and they both know and acknowledge it! They both realize that they are part of God's salvation of their people - their embrace, their hug, their touch conveys so much! The love in their eyes for each other! Is that a tear?

I sat under this painting and I felt such joy! I could not stop smiling!! On my trip we rarely had time to stop to enjoy the site we were visiting. But this time, in this place, we did get a few minutes. The colors, the expressions on their faces...it was just awesome - and I knew it! I knew I was feeling something special and wonderful!

I wanted to stay, to sit, to meditate. I wanted to just look at the beautiful mosaic which was effecting me and just smile.

All the times I had hungered for a spiritual experience! And I knew I was having one, I knew I was touching something special!! I was aware of the wonderfulness of it while it was happening.

I smile now just remembering, just looking at the photo. And see that girl in the corner peeking through the door? I'm going to claim that is me. Watching. Smiling.

I will forever love this image of Mary & Elizabeth, I will never forget.

Thank you God for allowing me to feel your presence in my mind this day.  Thank you Jesus for allowing your Mother to smile down on my heart this day.  Thank you Holy Spirit for allowing me to feel your essence in the lasting effects in my soul, still today.  Amen.


**Update:  Mom thinks this lovely painting is the layout for a future mosaic.  I hope she is right!!!!  The this beautiful image will be here forever for everyone to fall in love with as I did!

2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day 9