Pope Leo XIV presided this Saturday, August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo. In his homily, the Pope recalled that the glorification of Mary in body and soul shows that the true beauty of man does not consist in hiding the traces of the passage of time, but in bearing imprinted “the signs of love that has no end.”
The Pontiff contrasted this Christian conception of beauty with the canons “of a predominantly hedonistic and consumerist character” imposed by the world, which can lead man to waste his energies “on what really does not matter and does not last forever.” Leo XIV invited us to discover divine beauty in all ages and circumstances of life, from the face of a child to the wrinkles of an elderly person, and pointed to the Virgin as “Mother, guide, traveling companion, and protector on the journey toward Heaven.”
Below, we reproduce in full the homily of Leo XIV:
Dear brothers and sisters:
With great joy, I also celebrate with you this year the Solemnity of the Assumption.
The Magisterium of the Church teaches us that “Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Pius XII, Apost. Const. Munificentissimus Deus, November 1, 1950) and points us, in this Mystery, to the fulfillment of the fullness of grace that God has given her in her Immaculate Conception (cf. ibid.).
For this reason, many works of art depict her, at the end of her earthly life, as a beautiful young woman who rises physically from earth to heaven. They are inspired by the scene described in the passage from the Book of Revelation that we heard in the first reading: “A Woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet” (Rev 12:1), to signify that in Mary’s heart heaven and earth, time and eternity meet.
This image apparently contrasts with the experience of what the passage of years produces in us. With age, in fact, our body does not become more agile, but heavier; the skin does not become fresher, but shows the signs of old age; the hair does not take on color or shine, but turns gray and then white. So, what do we have in common with the wonderful young woman we find painted in our altarpieces?
To understand this, we must keep together the two signs we have mentioned: the incorrupt body of the Mother of God and her immaculate heart. It is the purity of the soul, in fact, that in Mary—as in us—by God’s grace illuminates and transfigures the whole person, leading her to the glory of Heaven.
The glorification of Mary in soul and body teaches us that our true beauty does not consist in hiding the signs of time that passes, but in showing also in our flesh the signs of love that has no end (cf. 1 Cor 13:8).
It invites us, in this way, to review many of the aesthetic canons, predominantly of a hedonistic and consumerist type, that the world imposes on us, and that run the risk of imprisoning us in heavy conditionings, making us waste valuable energies on what is not really important nor lasts forever. In common experience, one can find people whose faces are marked by years and sufferings, but who are capable of radiating serenity, benevolence, and peace around them; just as one can observe others, perhaps outwardly attractive, but hard and cold within. And it is easy to understand where true beauty lies and where, instead, there is still need for conversion, forgiveness, and healing.
If we truly wish to discover and cultivate the divine beauty that surrounds us and for which we were created, as well as to spread it around us, we must learn to read it both in the tender face of a child and in the wrinkles of an elderly person, in the liveliness of a young person and in the composure of an adult, in the ornaments of celebration and in the clothing and tools of work. We must listen to the unique love stories that each of these realities tells us, recognizing them as small flashes in the sky.
Love is the most beautiful ornament of man: the love that transfigures, transforms, ennobles, and lifts up; that makes us light, free, close to God, even through the ups and downs of life.
Saint Paul VI, meditating on the mystery of the Assumption of the Virgin, said that to understand its meaning “we must turn into superlatives and absolutes the terms we use in earthly language […], to imagine, on a small scale, the eternal” (Homily, August 15, 1969). And regarding this encounter, in the Mother of God, between the infinite and the finite, Pope Francis wrote: “Mary is the one who knows how to transform a cave of animals into the house of Jesus, with a few poor swaddling clothes and a mountain of tenderness” (Apost. Exhort. Evangelii gaudium, 286).
The miracle that Mary, the maiden of Nazareth, experienced in her innocent heart, and that led her to the glory of Heaven, is the meeting of extremes, as she herself bears witness in the inspired words of the Magnificat, which we heard in the Gospel (cf. Lk 1:46-55). In this canticle, through the humble expressions of her faith, the Mother of Heaven speaks to us in a simple way of great mysteries: God who in her becomes man to save men, the Eternal who in her manifests himself in time to open also to us the path of eternity, showing us at the same time, in her condition as “humble handmaid,” the “small dimension” in which we too can find the Lord, as Saint Paul VI said.
The sublimity of the Mystery we celebrate, then, must not be sought far away. We can find it wherever there is true charity: in the eyes of a father and a mother who return home after a day of work, tired but happy to be with their children; in the faces of grandfathers and grandmothers who, despite the difficulties of age, are re-energized with unexpected strength when caring for their grandchildren; or even in the commitment of young people who strive to grow clean and honest, ready also to go against the current with respect to “what everyone does”; finally, in the work of so many men and women who daily, with faith and dedication, contribute to bringing a little of Heaven upon earth and earth toward Heaven.
Dear brothers, the most beautiful face of the Assumption is unique, surpasses every possible representation and, yet, at the same time is known to us: it is that of the people who are beside us, even at this moment, of the brothers and sisters with whom we share, in faith, the daily offering of our life. Therefore, in the woman of the Apocalypse the community of believers sees itself, and the Second Vatican Council describes Mary as “image and beginning of the Church, […] a sign of sure hope and consolation” (Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 68). In her holy humanity, by God’s grace, ours is also found; we are called to live her same fullness of life and to share her same glory.
Saint Augustine, speaking of the resurrection of Christ, invited the Christians of his time to make it the compass and point of reference of their existence. He said: “Christ is risen, and will die no more […]. Change your mind, follow your light; rise with the one who rose” (Commentary on the Psalms 126, 7).
Let us make his invitation our own. Let us follow the light of the Risen One, changing course if necessary. Let us do so, particularly today, looking to Mary, whom God crowned with glory in soul and body, and whom He has given us as Mother, guide, traveling companion, and protector on the journey to Heaven.