Destination Matters - Weekday Homily Video

There’s an old Irish saying, which goes; “The most beautiful road is the one that leads you home.” We are on a journey, with a destination in mind. But if we’re honest, most of us pack for life as if this world were the final destination, extra baggage, emergency snacks, a few “just in case” projects. We live as if we are settling in for good, when in reality, we are all just passing through the departure lounge. And speaking of travel, let me share with you a story my friend forwarded to me.  

There is this couple from Minnesota, they were experiencing a freezing and severe winter. And so they decided, well, why don't we go down to Florida to experience some good weather? And they said, well, why don't we see if we can stay at the same hotel where they honeymooned 20 years earlier? So they made the arrangements. With the last-minute bookings, the only little hiccup was that they couldn't get on the same flight. And so they agreed that the husband will fly down on Thursday; the wife was coming on Friday. And the husband arrives safely at Florida.  

He goes to the hotel, he checks in, and he decides to send his wife an e-mail, letting her know that he arrived safely. Well, he made a very small mistake in typing her email address. He left out a letter in the address. So this e-mail went to somebody else. Now, the recipient of the e-mail was a woman in Houston, Texas, who earlier that morning had buried her husband. That evening, she opened her email, expecting condolence messages.  

Well, needless to say, when she opened up the first e-mail, she fainted. And her son ran into the room. She was okay, but he looked at the computer screen, and this is the e-mail that he found. “To my loving wife, I’ve arrived safely. I know you’re surprised to hear from me. They have computers, wifi and steady internet here now in each room and allow emails to loved ones. I’ve checked in and see that everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine. Can’t wait to see you. And at the bottom, P.S. It sure is hot down here.” 

Destination matters. Whether you are travelling physically or sending a mail, destination matters. And today’s Solemnity of the Assumption is all about destination. Mary's Destination and our destination, it’s a homecoming story. Mary’s life didn’t end in a tomb; it ended in the embrace of her Son. Heaven was her home, not a surprise detour, not an unplanned stop, nor a suddenly planned trip, but the goal she had been walking toward all her life.  

Mary's Fiat

What gets Mary there is not her miracles or visions, it’s her yes. Luke, Chapter 11 records a woman shouting, “Blessed is the womb that bore you!” And Jesus answers, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” In other words, Mary’s greatness lies not just in giving birth to Christ, but in hearing and living the Word. That’s what makes her “full of grace.” The Assumption is the natural flowering of that lifelong fidelity. 

Book of Revelation paints Mary as “a woman clothed with the sun,” but she didn’t start there. She started in the quiet of Nazareth, in kitchens and markets, in the dust of daily life. Which means sainthood, and heaven, begin in ordinary faithfulness.  The Assumption tells us something essential: heaven is not an alien world we hope to crash-land into; it’s the home for which we are being prepared. The choices we make, the way we love, the obedience we give to God’s Word, these are not just religious habits. They are our training in breathing heaven’s air. 

If heaven were just a sudden relocation without preparation, many of us would be like tourists stepping off a plane in a new country, speaking none of the language, and desperately looking for a guidebook. Mary shows us that heaven is not a shock for the soul, it’s the natural destination for a heart already living in God’s presence. 

Gospel of Luke chapter 1 shows Mary rushing to Elizabeth. It’s easy to miss how remarkable that is: she’s just been told she will carry the Son of God, and instead of settling into her own needs, she travels to serve someone else. That’s why the Assumption matters, it’s the victory lap of a life that consistently poured itself out for others. 

But the Assumption isn’t only about Mary. It’s about us too. She is not an exception to the rule, she is the proof of the promise. In her, God shows us what He intends for every one of His children: not just survival beyond death, but fullness of life with Him, body and soul. 

Your "Yes" to God

So, what’s the takeaway? Travel light. Pack your days with yes to God. Let each act of love be another step home. Then, when the journey ends, it won’t feel like a leap into the unknown, it will feel like walking through your own front door. 

Because in the end, the most beautiful road really does lead you home. "When our journey ends, may we hear Mary greeting us at heaven’s gates, not with ‘It’s hot down here,’ but with a smile that says, ‘Can’t wait to see you, it’s so beautiful up here." 

• Today’s Readings
  
• Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.. 

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