JOURNEY WITH MARY
Epi. 9 - BECOMING THE HUMBLEST SLAVE
Greater Glory of God Podcast
Presenting JOURNEY WITH MARY Episode No. 9 - BECOMING THE HUMBLEST SLAVE
To listen to Fr. George Mary Claret, reflecting on this mystery, click
“Better than” attitude is found in every walk of life.
Appearance,
talents, money, properties, achievements etc.
I’m not
very sure if there is anyone who doesn’t have this attitude.
This attitude
causes either superiority complex or inferiority complex.
To put it
in one word – it is called pride.
Are you proud
or humble?
If anyone
feels or thinks to be humble, he ceases to be so. Pride has entered into his
heart.
Therefore it’s
a great challenge to be humble in this world, where a person’s value is dependent
on what one accomplishes.
The world has
become a market and everyone seems to have become a businessman/businesswoman,
advertising, promoting, and selling oneself.
Thus it is
very difficult even to talk about it.
“Humility is the mother
of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our
love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch
you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are
blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put
yourself on a pedestal.”
― St. Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World:
Thoughts, Stories and Prayers
JESUS is the HUMBLEST being of all.
Therefore to be humble is to be God-like.
The more we grow in humility, the more we become Christ-like
/ God-like.
Mary is the HUMBLEST human being.
1 Peter 5:5:
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”
The opposite of humility is pride.
Pride is to act independently, to go against the will of the
Lord, and take personal credit for what is actually accomplished by the grace
of God. Humility, on the other hand, is to never do my will, for my own
interest, to never consider my capacity and accomplishments to be my own. Because
what I am and what I have, including my talents, abilities, and even life, belong to God. This realization effects / produces actual humility.
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself it is
thinking of yourself less.” – CS Lewis
St. Alphonsus gives us reasons to call Mary the humblest:
Firstly, Mary was truly humble because she gave all the glory to God for everything good
in her life: "A soul that is truly humble refuses
her own praise, and should praises be bestowed upon her, she refers them all to
God."
This is precisely what Mary did when she went to meet her cousin Elizabeth in
the Visitation (Lk 1:39-45):
Behold, Mary is disturbed at hearing herself praised by St.
Gabriel; and when St. Elizabeth said "Blessed art thou among women ... and
whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? ... Blessed
art thou that hast believed," Mary referred all to God and answered in
that humble Canticle, "My soul doth magnify the Lord."
Secondly, Humility means always being more eager to serve
than be served.
Thirdly, St. Alphonsus points out that Mary did not push herself "into the limelight"
during her Son's public ministry, but chose to remain mostly in the background.
In one sentence, humility is the ability to see oneself in relation to God.
Summary:
- Seeing God as the source of everything that one is and one has.
- Humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking of yourself less
- Referring all praises to God.
- Always being more eager to serve than be served.
- Choosing to remain mostly in the background – to be hidden and unknown.
- The ability to see oneself in relation to God.
-
What are your strengths?
-
What are your weaknesses?
-
Can you see God as the source of all that you
are and you have?
-
Who is the God of your life – yourself or God?
- What can you learn from Mary’s humility?
Biblical Passages for Reflection:
- Matthew 11:29
- 2 1 Peter 5:5
- 3. Lk 1:39-45
No comments:
Post a Comment