Humility of Mary

As soon as the college got over, when I was coming home a thought struck me at a sudden. How is that, that there are so many philosophers who write their philosophy and live by it and yet they go unnoticed, the same people who write books based on their philosophies and yet the world fails to recognize them. And then my sight fell on the nearby lotus pond. The lotus had many beautiful petals and yet it was not concerned about whether it was being noticed. As I stood there watching it unfold its petals silently, I thought of Mary conceived with Jesus. She too was a precious treasure. She too was not concerned about whether anyone noticed her astounding beauty. But to those who see, she reveals her secrets. Her beauty came not from within but from Jesus’ life within her, unfolding its petals silently.

If we look at the biblical episode of  Mary visiting  her cousin Elizabeth, we see the joy and happiness that Mary has that she immediately set on a journey to the town in the hill-country  of Judea  to meet her. As soon as Mary greets Elizabeth, the baby in her womb leaped for joy, and then  Mary sings the Magnificat : Praising god for all the Blessings  which he has showered  in her life .This is the second sign of Mary’s humility.

Saint Gregory  of Nazianzus declared that, if anyone does not recognize the Holy virgin as the Mother of God, he is separated from God, hence  by the  third century onwards, the Greek  writers bestowed on Mary, the simple girl of Nazareth , the Title  of Theotokos –Theo means GOD and tokos means Mother.

WHAT did God find in her so beautiful that he rewarded her with such a precious gift?

It is because of her humility and openness to the word of God.

Humility is like a seed: the seed of life in order to sprout and to grow as plant and then as a huge tree. Seed is the potency to life, but in order to sprout and become a tree it should die to itself and then, the seed can reach to its final goal of becoming a tree. Without dying to oneself nothing can be achieved in life. Without working one can’t earn his wage, without pain there is no gain. A philosopher cannot prove his work as authentic unless

Criticisms come only when one starts working towards one’s goal.  Similarly Mary was humble in life and was open to the word of god without looking at her own benefit, she goes and pays a visit to her cousin

As we journey in this Marian month let us try to imbibe at least one value of her. As we move from one day to another, let us give our very best in humility whether we are being noticed for our work or not.

                                                                                                                         

          Cl Trevor Rodrigues