Monday, August 15th, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. Normally it would be a Holy Day of obligation, but, since it falls on a Monday, it is not a Holy Day this year [insert shrugging emoji]. However, since it is such a special feast day, we will have Mass in honor of Our Lady anyway, both in Worland and Thermopolis. See the Mass schedule for details.
The strangeness of cancelling a Holy Day of Obligation just because it falls one day after a Sunday is inspiring the following rant, which I usually don't do. But it makes me wonder if the practice of Holy Days of Obligation shouldn't be changed. Of course, I don't have any authority over that reality, but I think it leads to a good point, so bear with me. The purpose of a Holy Day is to not only encourage, butobligethe faithful to celebrate an important mystery in the life of Our Lord or of Our Lady or the saints. The Church has the authority to oblige us to do such spiritual things under the pain of sin ("Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" -Mt 18:18). Parents often oblige their children to do things for their own good. Similarly, Holy Mother Church obliges her children to do things for their own spiritual benefit.
But I think putting the emphasis on theobligationrisks keeping us at a level of spirituality that is a far cry from the fullness of life Jesus desires for us. The relationship between parents and children is not simply one of obligation, but, even moreso, oflove. We should always be striving to makelove of Godour primary motivation for everything. St. Paul says, "Love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom 13:10). And he says elsewhere, "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, 'Abba, Father!'" (Rom 8:15). If God is our Father and Mary is our Mother and Jesus is our brother, when we celebrate significant events in their lives (which also have profound ramifications for our own salvation), we shoulddesireout ofloveto honor and celebrate them.
So just like children who love their mother will want to honor her on her birthday with flowers and a card and a special dinner, so we who love our spiritual Mother, Mary, shouldwantto honor her with a special Mass on the feast of her Assumption and on her other special days, because of our love for her. To limit August 15th to the calculus of whether we're obliged under pain of mortal sin to go to Mass or not would seem to indicate that we desperately need to ask our Lord to help us love His Mother with the same honor and tender affection that He did. And in loving her thus, we will certainly benefit from the heavenly intercession of the one we call, "Full of Grace."
Monday, August 15th, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. Normally it would be a Holy Day of obligation, but, since it falls on a Monday, it is not a Holy Day this year [insert shrugging emoji]. However, since it is such a special feast day, we will have Mass in honor of Our Lady anyway, both in Worland and Thermopolis. See the Mass schedule for details.