Reflecting on the Word

By Dr. Karla J. Bellinger

I had a dream on the feast of the Assumption many years ago.  It was one of those dark and scary dreams in which I was running  through the streets of a town, dodging evil creatures and malevolent  attackers. Suddenly I found myself in an abandoned lot. No trees.  No buildings to hide me. No, no, no! I was totally exposed. 

Have you ever had a nightmare like that? Or lived through a  horror like that? Today’s reading from Revelation starts with a  similar terror. A woman wails aloud. A serpent stands ready to  devour her child about to be born, a horrifying reptile whose tail  can sweep away the stars! 

Yet the child is caught up to God. The woman is secured in the  radiance of the desert. She and her baby are safe. As we celebrate the  Assumption, we read this account because of its parallels. We believe  that at the moment of death, however it happened, Mary was not  devoured by death, but caught up to God. 

Is death like that distress? Is it followed by an abiding sense of  tranquility? We do not know. We may think that we grasp God, but  in reality, no. The Redeemer is here for us. The Lord is our Rescuer,  the one who snatches us from terror and brings us to peace.

In my dream, as I stood so frightened in that open field, peaceable  people encircled me, powerful people who loved me and were  pleased with me. The horror could not come near. I was safe. I was  secure. Brightness surrounded me. Now when I think of Mary and  the communion of saints, I swell with courage. I feel that I have been  surrounded by them. 

No matter what, we are safe. We dwell secure. All will be well. 

Consider/Discuss 

  • When you were younger, was there a place where you dwelt secure or a  person with whom you were thoroughly “at home”? Where do you find  safety now? 
  • What is it like to feel alone and in terror? How is that different from being  surrounded by love? Think of times when the Lord has been your Rescuer. 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Holy Spirit, you are the divine tie who binds us with those who  are in heaven. Illumine our hearts to see that we are not alone, that  those who have gone before us are cheering us onward toward peace  and everlasting life. Be with us in moments of earthly terror and  fear. Rather than seeing things from our earthly perspective, grant us  knowledge to see things from a heavenly viewpoint, that ultimately,  when this is over, all will be well. Snatch us up, carry us away to you!

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