There was a poor boy that grew up in L. A. As a teenager he became interested in boxing and soon showed that he had exceptional talent. Were it not for this he would have probably drifted into crime like so many of his companions. The most significant person in his life was his mother. She encouraged him and went to all his fights. He was selected to box for USA in the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. He was thrilled but unfortunately his mother wasn’t there to see him represent his country. She died a short time before the games began. This greatly saddened him, but at the same time made him more determined to win the gold medal for her sake. He did; and in his moment of triumph, he didn’t forget his mother. The first thing he did, after the result was announced, was to get down on his knees, before the television cameras of the world and say a prayer. Looking up to heaven he said,’ Mom, this is for you. I owe it to you’. As she had been at the centre of his struggle from the beginning, he now wanted her to share in his glory. Today’s feast celebrates the fact that because Mary housed the Son of God, her body went directly to heaven and was not subject to decay (corruption). Today’s feast also celebrates the fact that Mary’s presence in heaven is a reward for her own perseverance and trust on earth. Mary was with Jesus from the very beginning and stayed with him right to the end. She was beside him in all the joyful and sorrowful moments of his life. She brought him into the world in a stable. When he was just a new-born child, she took him into Egypt to save him from Herod’s killers. She brought him back to Nazareth and took care of him, as he grew up. She sought him in sorrow when he was lost in the temple. She accompanied him all the way to Calvary, staying with him until he died. Therefore, it is right that she should share his risen glory. Mary’s assumption is a symbol of our own destiny. Our final and eternal destiny is with God. Mary’s reward for her perseverance and trust is a promise that we too will be rewarded for our perseverance and trust. What she has attained, all of us are meant to attain. Today’s feast day does not celebrate a privilege of Mary alone but the promise that all Christians will share in her Son’s resurrection. The Assumption is a sign of hope and comfort for God’s people on their pilgrim way. We can look at her now in glory and say: ‘This is how we will be one day.’