As Christians, we have the luxury of hindsight when we read the Old Testament. We can see how the promises of God the Father are fulfilled in the person and actions of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, we can see how important figures, events and objects in the Old Covenant foreshadow the establishment of the New Covenant through Our Lord. Today, as we celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, this hindsight makes Mary’s role in salvation clear and shows why we need to emulate Her in our lives.
The first reading this evening, which comes from the First Book of Chronicles describes the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem after David conquered the city. The Ark was the holiest object for the Israelite people, as it represented the presence of God with them. It also carried three of the holiest articles given to the Israelites: the tablets containing the 10 Commandments; Aaron’s staff which budded to show the call of the Levite tribe as the priesthood of Israel; and the manna in the desert which sustained the Israelite people for 40 years.
Each of these objects foreshadow some aspect of Our Lord’s role in salvation of humanity. The tablets with the 10 Commandments are fulfilled in the commandments Our Lord gave through His teaching. The staff shows that Our Lord is the High Priest of the New Covenant which He established through His blood. The manna, the bread from Heaven, is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, which is the true and eternal Bread from Heaven.
Even the Ark itself foreshadows an important figure in the New Covenant. Just as the Ark held objects which foreshadowed Our Lord, Mary held in her womb the fulfillment of those objects as the mother of Jesus. Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the fulfillment of the Ark of the Covenant, and is rightfully called the Ark of the New Covenant.
As I said before, important events described within the Old Testament foreshadow the New Covenant, and this first reading is no exception. The tent which King David prepared for the Ark of the Covenant was to become God’s dwelling place with the Israelite people. The Ark was placed inside the tent, where it remained until the construction of the Temple by King Solomon.
With the establishment of the New Covenant, we no longer look to the earthly Promised Land, but have hope in a Heavenly Promised Land where we will dwell God for all eternity. Just as the Ark of the Covenant entered into earthly Jerusalem, it is fitting that the Ark of the New Covenant would enter into the Heavenly Jerusalem. We are celebrating today the entrance of Our Lady into that new Promised Land, and do so with the hope that we will also one day join her and all the saints and angels in praise and worship of God.
In order to join her in the Heavenly Jerusalem, we need to follow her example. Jesus states in today’s Gospel passage, “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Mary received the blessing to become the Ark of the New Covenant, the Mother of God, because she said “yes” to the Word of God who was proclaimed to her in the Old Testament and announced by the Archangel Gabriel.
We too have heard the Word of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and have the opportunity to observe what He did and said. For us to be blessed and enter into that Heavenly reward we all seek, we must follow Our Lady’s example and say “yes” to Jesus’ call to follow Him. The question is: do we want to follow her example and be called blessed?
