Monday, December 21, 2009

The Canticle of Mary

Tuesday, December 21, 2009
The Sorrowful Mysteries
1 Samuel 1:24-28
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
Luke 1:46-56

Mary in this reading from Luke expresses herself in a canticle. The first verse is something that we should all be able to say:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior,
for he has looked with favor upon his lowly servant.

This is so true. Hasn't God looked down from heaven and bestowed on us many, many favors?

The words are very similar to the words Hannah used in the Responsorial reading from 1 Samuel. Both have given birth or are pregnant with a child who can change the world and help put humanity back on the right track. Though one could get puffed up at the opportunity these women were presented, we know they would not have been chosen if God didn’t know they’d remain humble with only gratitude for being called to serve.

Gratitude is such a blessing and a hard virtue to find among mankind today. But, this is the virtue easily seen in both women today. I feel grateful for the reminder of how powerful a persistent prayer life can be. For Hannah, praying initially for her self to escape the scorn of being barren, resolves to give over the child to the LORD if she could be granted the gift of childbearing. Her prayer is answered and Samuel is the response from the LORD.

Mary’s piety and her fiat response when asked to bear the “Savior of the world” are well known. Having her humility after being around Jesus all his life would be understandable, but the truth is she was humble before she said yes to carry him in her womb, as she talked about being the “handmaid of the LORD”. So, I am reminded to trust God always, to not stop praying, and humility is a very attractive quality in a person.

There are very few days left now, until the great feast of Christ's birth. Let us enter into a spirit of quiet expectation and meditate on how the favor of God upon Mary is a favor that has been granted also to us who bear the saving mark of Jesus upon our soul.

Thank you, Mary and Hannah for showing us the way today. The world is still full of troubles and in need of a Savior again.

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"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.

Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy".