VIII — MARY’S HUMILITY

Presence of God. — O Mary, most humble among all creatures, make my heart humble.

Meditation

1 — “It is not difficult,” says St. Bernard, “to be humble in an obscure life, but truly beautiful and rare virtue it is to remain so amid honors.” Mary Most Holy was certainly the woman most honored by God, most exalted above all creatures; yet no creature humbled and lowered herself as much as she. It seems almost that between Mary and God there is established a contest: the more God exalts her, the more she lowers herself in humility. The Angel greets her “full of grace,” and Mary “is troubled” (Lk. 1, 28 and 29). “She was troubled,” explains St. Alphonsus, “because, being so full of humility, she abhorred all praise of herself and desired that God alone be praised.” The Angel reveals to her the great mission the Most High has entrusted to her, and Mary declares herself “the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk. 1, 38). Her gaze does not linger on the immense honor that will come to her for having been chosen among all women to be mother of the Son of God, but contemplates in wonder the great mystery of a God who wills to become incarnate in the womb of one poor creature of his. If God wills to descend so low as to give himself to her as Son, how low must his little handmaid not lower herself? The more she understands the greatness of the mystery, the immensity of the divine gift, the more she humbles herself, plunging into her nothingness. The same attitude when Elizabeth greets her: “blessed among women” (Lk. 1, 42). These words do not amaze her because by now she is already Mother of God and, nevertheless, she remains fixed in her profound humility: she attributes all to the Lord, whose mercy she sings, confessing the condescension with which He “has looked upon the lowliness of his handmaid” (ibid., 48). God has worked great things in her, she knows it, she recognizes it; but instead of boasting in it, she makes all redound purely to his glory. Quite rightly St. Bernardine exclaims: “As no creature, after the Son of God, has been exalted in dignity and grace equal to Mary, so none has descended so low into the abyss of humility.” This is the effect divine graces and favors must produce: to make us ever more humble, ever more conscious of our nothingness.

2 — “If it is not possible for you to emulate Mary’s purity,” says St. Bernard, “at least imitate her humility. Glorious virtue is chastity, but humility is necessary: for the first there is simple invitation: ‘he who can understand, let him understand’ (Mt. 19, 12), for the second an absolute command: ‘unless you become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Mt. 18, 3); and so chastity is rewarded, humility is required; without chastity one may still be saved, but without humility it is impossible. Without humility even Mary’s virginity would not have been pleasing to God. She pleased God, yes, for her virginity, but became mother by her humility.”

The most beautiful qualities and gifts, as likewise penance, poverty, virginity, apostolate and the very life of consecration to God, and even the priesthood, are sterile and unfruitful if not accompanied by sincere humility; indeed, without humility they can place in serious danger the soul that possesses them. Lucifer was chaste, but was not humble, and pride was his ruin. The higher is the place we occupy in the Lord’s vineyard, the loftier the life of perfection we profess, the more important the mission God has entrusted to us, the more we need to sink deep the roots of humility. As Mary’s motherhood was the fruit of her humility - humilitate concepit - so the fruitfulness of our interior life and our apostolate will depend on humility and will always be in proportion to it. In fact, only God can accomplish in us and through us great things, but He will not do so unless He sees us fully humble. Humility alone is the fertile and fitting soil for making the Lord’s gifts fruitful and, on the other hand, it is always humility that draws grace and divine favors down upon us. “There is no queen,” says St. Teresa of Jesus, “who more obliges the King of heaven to surrender than humility. It made Him descend from heaven into the Virgin’s womb” (Way 16, 2).

Colloquy

“O Virgin! glorious stem, to what sublime height do you raise your flower? Up to Him who sits on the throne, up to the Lord of majesty. And I am not astonished, since You cast deeply into earth the roots of humility. Hail Mary, full of grace. You are truly full, for you are pleasing to God, to Angels, to men; to men for your motherhood, to Angels for your virginity, to God for your humility. Precisely by your humility You draw upon yourself the Lord’s gaze, of Him who bends over the humble, while He looks from afar on the proud. As Satan’s eyes fix upon all that is high, so the Lord’s eyes fix upon all that is low” (cf. St. Bernard).

O most humble Mother, make me humble, so that the Lord may deign to turn his gaze upon me. There is nothing in my soul that can attract Him: nothing sublime, nothing worthy of his complacency, nothing truly good and virtuous; and if there is some good, it is so mixed with miseries, so weak and defective that it does not deserve even this name. What then, O Lord, can draw your grace upon my poor soul? “Upon whom do You cast your gaze, if not upon the humble and the one contrite of spirit?” (cf. Is. 66, 2). O Lord, grant then that I may be this humble one; make me humble through the merits of your most humble Mother.

“O Mary, if You had not been humble, the Holy Spirit would not have descended upon you and You would not have become mother...” (cf. St. Bernard). So, if I am not humble, the Lord will not grant me his grace, the Holy Spirit will not descend upon me, and my life will remain sterile and unfruitful. Grant, then, O Holy Virgin, that your humility, so pleasing to God, may obtain for me the pardon of my pride and a truly humble heart.