How is one to capture this feast of the Assumption? First of all we have difficulty rejoicing. We have difficulty rejoicing in each other. We are unique images of God and we need each other and we have a unique gift. Everything is gift. Even a stone is a gift. Its stoneness is what we need. You wouldn’t have then that altar, you wouldn’t have the floor, wouldn’t have the wall. We need stone. Stone has stoneness which we use for all kind of good things and it’s a gift given to us. And so what should we say for God today? God’s got to be happy in His heart, smiling and the Father’s looking with great complacency on today. And the Son and so is the Holy Spirit. Because their efforts to save us which included and had to include because of His plan, that Mary would be the Mother of Jesus, of the Son of God. And now the fullness of the graces that they have wanted for her have been accomplished. So that now the work of the Trinity in continuing the redemption of the whole human race is now freely flowing. What does that mean? The Trinity is a flowing of love between the Three persons and all those that get in the circle. Our problem is we’re cut off from the circle too often. So let me see if I can give an image of this: In the Dakota Indians when they want to celebrate some event in gratitude they have a give away feast. So in this one particular tribe the son was a very good warrior, very bold, but he was wounded and the others brought him home and the healer in the camp healed him. And so the father’s extremely grateful and as he says, "the good spirits have protected and brought my son back to me." So he throws this feast. And in this feast everybody in his house gives gifts. The daughters make moccasins and they give them away and toys for the kids. The wife gives away the robes, the hides that the husband has gotten from the buffalo hunts. And dresses and everything. In fact they emptied the whole place and he empties his herd. For an Indian to empty his herd is like us throwing away our inheritance and our retirement fund. Everything. But it’s also given with an eye to the person they give it to. So for instance, one son finally after realizing what this meant, gives away his stallion horse that he captured in the raid. Everybody knows that’s his greatest prize and he gives it to somebody who would appreciate it. So what happens? The whole camp is rejoicing because the gifts they have been given match their needs and appreciation of it and so there’s a flow in the whole tribe. And the whole tribe is lifted up. And that’s why if we’re really going to celebrate this feast there should be nobody sad in the monastery today. If you are sad you are not focused on the feast. Because this flow is going on right now in gratitude. So today, of any day you want to ask God something, this is the day you do it. And you say, "Father, do this for me in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother." Or "Jesus do this in honor of the Blessed Mother." Or Holy Spirit. Why? Because if anybody knows how to give gifts is God! And He wants to celebrate this great mystery and share it with all of us so that this goodness flows. What shall we say when we continue this Mass into this Eucharist? Where the concrete givenness of God reaches us and touches us in deepest possible way. So let us celebrate today. Let us really petition the Lord for the needs of our life, our abbey, the church and the world.

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