REFLECTION:

So I think I’ve mentioned the series Game of Thrones in a homily before, and I wanted to mention it again today, but from a different scene. The thing that originally got me interested in the series was the dragons. I thought, Okay, there are dragons in this? I want to see what happens.

Now, spoiler alert for those who still haven’t watched it. Although the series had dragons, zombie-like monsters, giants, huge armies, and all kinds of battles, in the end, it wasn’t the dragon that won. And the final conflict wasn’t settled by some great dragon battle. It came down to one person making a difficult choice and killing Daenerys, the queen who commanded the dragons and whom he loved.

I remember thinking, Wait…that's it? What about the dragons? I watched all of that expecting the dragons to determine everything! But strangely enough, that came to mind when I read our first reading today from the Book of Revelation.

Revelation gives us this incredible scene. First, heaven opens and the Ark of the Covenant appears. Then John sees this beautiful woman, “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” And then comes the dragon.

Not a cute little dragon either. Revelation describes “a huge red dragon” with seven heads and ten horns. If this were a movie, you would immediately think, Okay, this is the bad guy. This is going to be a big fight. The dragon stands before the woman, waiting to devour her child. But here is what struck me. The dragon doesn't win. In fact, something even more interesting happens. The dragon is not even the first thing John sees. John says, “A great sign appeared in the sky.”

What is the great sign? Not the dragon. The woman.

The dragon comes afterward. Revelation calls it “another sign.” And maybe that is something we need to hear on this Solemnity of the Assumption. Because sometimes we make the dragon the biggest thing in the picture.

We all have dragons. Maybe not seven-headed red ones, hopefully. If you see one of those, please don't call the parish office. I don't think that's covered in my job description. But we have our dragons.

The problem in the family that seems impossible to solve. The sickness that frightens us. The financial problem that keeps us awake. The relationship that is falling apart. The uncertainty about what comes next. The problems we see in our Church, our community, our country, and our world. And when the dragon is standing in front of us, it is very easy to think, This is the whole story.

But Revelation says, No. Look again. The dragon is in the picture, but the dragon is not the whole picture. And more importantly, the dragon does not get the last word. That is why this reading is so beautiful for the Assumption of Mary.

Mary's life certainly had dragons. She knew uncertainty. She knew fear. She knew what it was like to flee with Joseph and the infant Jesus because Herod wanted her child dead. She knew what it was like to watch people reject her Son. She knew what it was like to stand beneath the Cross and watch Jesus die. But none of those things became the final chapter of Mary's story.

Today we celebrate the final chapter. She is with her Son. The woman who said yes to God, who carried Christ within her, who followed him even to the Cross, is now brought body and soul into the glory of heaven. And the Assumption reminds us that Mary's story is also a preview of our story.

We believe in “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” So maybe today, whatever dragon you are facing, don't give it more power than it deserves. Don't pretend it isn't there. Faith doesn't mean pretending everything is fine. But don't make the dragon the main character either. Look at Mary. The woman clothed with the sun reminds us where the story is going.



Sin doesn't win. Suffering doesn't win. Evil doesn't win. Even death doesn't win. God wins.

And if we remain faithful to Christ, then Mary's Assumption gives us hope that one day we too will share in that victory. So when the dragons of life seem big, frightening, and impossible to defeat, remember today's reading. The dragon may be part of the story. But the dragon doesn't get to write the ending. God does.