Deep within every human heart there is a song that is waiting to be sung in unison with all other hearts. For Mary this song is her Magnificat. We are truly privileged to know this song and greatly blessed by God when we pray it both as individuals and as a faith community. We must thank the pages of Scripture for this song and more specifically we must thank St. Luke. St. Luke has situated this beautiful canticle in the context of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary’s song is proclaimed in response to this encounter with her cousin. A quick survey of her song will show how extremely important humility is to it. Mary not only sings this song gracefully; she also compliments it by her life. It is Mary’s example of humility in visiting her cousin Elizabeth that I want to focus on.
Mary is the perfect disciple and as we journey on the road of discipleship we need look no further than Mary as our example. It is in cooperating with Christ’s self-emptying love that each of us will be able to reach that state of holiness to which we are called; a state, which is without spot, wrinkle or blemish. It is in Mary’s humble cooperation with God’s love that this holiness is most fully realized.
Just as Jesus humbled himself taking on the form of a slave so too did Mary humble herself under the mighty hand of God. Though Mary was graced with the greater honor of bearing Christ rather than Elizabeth who carried his forerunner, she did not consider herself more highly esteemed than Elizabeth. Mary on the other hand acknowledged everything as being a gift from God and that none of us are the sole bearers of those gifts and when we no longer associate with the lowly in their joy we risk the danger of falling into pride.
So Mary united her joy with that of Elizabeth such that there was just one joy. Mary was acknowledging that both gifts, Jesus and John, were a part of God’s plan. It was not Mary or Elizabeth who deserved the honor and glory but God who in his kindness choose both women to be cooperators in his plan of salvation.
Just as Mary pondered in her heart the great things that God had done in her life, we too are called to ponder the great things the Lord is doing or has done in our lives. By virtue of the humility that she embodied Mary was able to go out beyond herself and testify to and celebrate the great things, which the Almighty was doing in Elizabeth’s life.
The power of God at work in this joyous event is clearly gratuitous. Just as He favored Mary with such high honor so he favors us with special gifts but we must have humble hearts like Mary. Humility releases us from our own grip and allows and empowers us to go beyond ourselves in the service of others. Humility gives birth to joy, a joy, which must be shared with others. Humility never puffs up or exalts oneself; it always refers the honor to God. Let us with Mary acknowledge all the good things that we are owner of as being gifts from God for when we do, it is then that we sing in unison the song that echoes within the holy heart of Mary.
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