Super Salutem
from the Office for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(August 2026)
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Christine of Christ, a holy 13th-century Norbertine Canoness, once had a heavenly vision while her community was chanting a sequence on the Solemnity of the Assumption. As they sang the words, “Hear us!,” asking Our Lady to intercede for them from her exalted place in heaven, Christine saw the Blessed Virgin Mary on her knees, praying for the convent.
In this moment, Christine was permitted to see spiritual realities that are normally hidden from the eyes of mortals here on earth. For an instant, she was permitted to see as God sees.
“Above health and every beauty you have been loved by the Lord, and you are worthy to be called Queen of heaven...”
The responsory for this month transports us to that joyful moment when our Blessed Mother was assumed into heaven, body and soul. It begins with a beautiful reference to the book of Wisdom (7:10), which speaks of Wisdom as a person. Together with others like it (Proverbs 8:1-9:6; Wisdom 7-9; Sirach 24), this passage has traditionally been interpreted as referring both to Our Lord, Incarnate Wisdom, and to His Mother and ours—Our Lady, the Seat of Wisdom.
But what is wisdom? St. Thomas Aquinas would say that divine wisdom is right judgment in accord with eternal law; in other words, seeing things the way God sees them. To be wise is as simple as that—to see history, the world, and our own lives through the eyes of God. To be truly wise is to see the reality that He sees. Mary, who at this very moment sees and loves us and all creation in God, can help us to learn to see in this way. As Christine of Christ saw, she is interceding for us, even now.
One beautiful aspect of this responsory, and indeed of the whole Liturgy of the Church, is that the words themselves help us to grow in wisdom, when they are prayerfully pondered. The texts of the Liturgy can form us and help us begin to see reality as it is seen by God.
“Above health and every beauty you have been loved by the Lord, and you are worthy to be called Queen of heaven...”
Our Lady—and the gift of wisdom—are to be prized above health and every beauty, above every material good and benefit. Yet, do we prize wisdom that way? This is something we must strive to grow in. Seeing as God sees will lead us to love as He loves. Divine wisdom is the greatest of all treasures, to be prized infinitely above health, beauty, and every good of this world, because it will lead us to everlasting joy in heaven. All earthly goods will fade and vanish, but to see as God sees, and the eternal graces which this brings to us, will last forever and ever.
“The choirs of angels rejoice, our coheirs and fellow citizens.”
Once again the responsory opens for us a vision of heaven, of reality. Do we see the angels as heirs with us to eternal life? Do we remember that, like them, we are citizens of heaven, our true homeland? We can join the angels in their praise and joy as we sing together with them and, in doing so, we can slowly begin to see a little more of the reality of the Mystical Body all around us.
“It is right that we highly venerate you, who have remained a Virgin so holy and undefiled.”
And so, as we celebrate Our Lady's Assumption, we are invited to join her and all of heaven in the celebration.
With the eyes of wisdom and faith, we peer through the veil and see, as God truly does, a creation united in one single song: the angels gladly join their voices to ours, and our Blessed Mother, the Queen of heaven and earth, rejoices to see the multitude of her children united in praise and thanksgiving for all that God has done.
