Assumption of the BVM

SHE FOUND HIM WHOM HER SOUL LOVES
From a sermon by St Aelred of Rievaulx 3
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Among all those who are Christ’s, she who tastes his goodness more
intimately and more delicately is of greater excellence, more blessed, and more
attractive. She is to him not only a creature, a handmaid, a friend, and a daughter,
but also a mother. So then it is only right that we welcome her feast with greater
delight and gladness. But today even more we should rejoice with her because
today her joy was completely fulfilled. Great was her joy when the angel greeted
her. Great was her joy when she felt the coming of the Holy Spirit, when that
marvelous fusion of the Son of God with her flesh took place in her womb, so that
he, one and the same, was the Son of God and her Son. Great was her joy when she
held such a Son in her arms, when she listened to his words, when she saw his
miracles. And because her sorrow was so great at the Passion, she took wondrous
joy again in his resurrection and greater still at his ascension. But all these joys
were surpassed by the joy which she receives today.

Up to this day, brothers, Mary, the blessed Mother of God, knew her dearest
Son in the flesh. Although she fastened all her desires and all her love there, where
he was, after her dearest Son and Lord ascended into heaven, so long as she
remained in this corruptible flesh, what she had seen of him in the flesh could not
fade from her memory. For his deeds and words were always coming to her mind
and above all there lingered in her heart the features of his exquisite face. Today,
however, she passed from this world and went up to the heavenly kingdom. There
she began to contemplate his brightness, power, and divinity, and her joy and her
longing were fulfilled. So with good reason could she say: “I have found him whom
my soul loves”. She holds him and she does not let him go…

Today the Blessed Virgin… entered that heavenly court. She saw the white
robes of the virgins, the ruddy crowns of the martyrs, the thrones of the apostles,
and in the midst of them she found her Son reigning. Ascending higher than the
very highest of the saints, she has arrived at such knowledge of the divinity that
she then glories in having found him for the first time.

O blessed soul, who left behind not only the patriarchs and prophets, the
apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins, but also the angels… and all heaven’s
array, and so reached her dearest Son. Then she utterly found him whom now her
soul loves utterly. She found him and she held him. She holds him in the embraces
of an utterly perfect love and she can never lose him because she can never love
him any less.

Let us lift up our hearts therefore, brothers, to Our Lady, our Advocate. Let
us reflect on how much hope we have in her. Just as she surpasses every creature
in excellence, so also she is more merciful and kinder than any creature. Let us
then confidently entreat her who can by her excellence assist us and by her mercy
chooses to do so, that she may implore her Son for us so that as he deigned to be
born of her for us, he may through her deign to have mercy on us.

3 Aelred of Rievaulx. The Liturgical Sermons – CF #58 – Cistercian Publications,Kalamazoo – 2001.