MEDITATION FOR WEDNESDAY
“And His mercy is from generation to generation unto them that fear Him. . . . He hath put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble” (Luke i, 50–52).
First Prelude: Remain, in spirit, with your holy Mother in the house of Zachary, and listen attentively to the continuation of her sublime canticle.
Second Prelude: O holy Virgin, let me learn of thee childlike fear of God and humble confidence in His infinite goodness.
FIRST POINT
“HIS MERCY IS FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM”
These words of the Blessed Virgin give her a new claim to her glorious title, Mother of Mercy. When praising God, she is mindful, not only of the benefits conferred upon her by His infinite goodness and of those which she is yet to receive, but she considers herself, likewise, under obligations to the Most High for the benefits bestowed on others. With our Blessed Mother, all holy souls have ever realized that the Sun of Justice not only diffuses light and warmth upon them, but that it sheds its benign rays over all the centuries. For all these graces they incessantly thank God all the more since they consider themselves the happy recipients of God’s gifts to their fellow men. Their hearts are replete with holy joy in the service of so good and generous a Master.
Why does Mary say that the mercy of God will be the portion of those that fear Him? Does not fear imply discouragement and is it not more likely that God will show mercy to them that hope in Him? This is very true, but he hopes the most of God who fears Him most, and fear of God impels us to co-operate with grace. Our growth in grace, however, is proportioned to our confidence in God. Holy Scripture says: “The eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him” (Ecclus. 15:20).
Possessing this holy fear of God, we may confidently hope in the mercy of the Lord; we should do a great injustice were we to yield to despondence and discouragement even for a moment. Let us, therefore, walk before God with that holy fear which detests the slightest sin, which repents of past sins with humble compunction, and our childlike fear will become the solid foundation of our hope.
Do we frequently consider that, as religious, we are under obligation to thank God also for the favors He has conferred upon others? Am I intent upon avoiding the least voluntary faults?
SECOND POINT
“HE HATH PUT DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR
SEAT AND EXALTED THE HUMBLE”
Heaven and earth testify to the truth of Mary’s words. God exercised might when He hurled the rebellious angels, puffed up with pride, from their heavenly thrones into the dark abyss, and elevated the deeply humbled members of the human race to the thrones vacated by the angels. The fall of King Pharao, of Saul, of the haughty Aman, and terrifying examples of all centuries, teach us the unrelenting rigor of the Lord in dealing with the proud, but also the love and predilection with which He elevates the humble and simple. Man can rise to true greatness only through humility, and only on the path of humility can he make progress in perfection. Does not perfection consist solely in our earnest endeavor to resemble Jesus? His pre-eminent virtue, however, is humility.
For this reason the spiritual writers so urgently counsel humility, again and again pointing to the fact that humility is the most essential virtue, which draws down upon us abundant graces and serves at once as a foundation for all other virtues. Let it be our earnest endeavor to become pleasing to God by repeated interior and exterior acts of humility and so to merit His blessing upon our labors. We will imitate the example of the saints, who humbled themselves profoundly before every task. Acknowledging our utter misery, our weakness, our ignorance and inconstancy before God, we will beg His grace with childlike confidence, and we, too, shall be justified in anticipating success in our undertakings.
Affections: O my Lord and my God, be it far from me ever to glory, save in Thee, the true source of all good! In Thee, O Lord, I place all my trust. Praised and blessed be Thy mercy, for having dealt with me so paternally. Do Thou always direct my way according to Thy wonderful mercies. O holy Virgin, who by thy profound humility wert so pleasing to God as to be worthy of the most exalted dignity, obtain this virtue for me, that it may aid me in securing the salvation of my soul and open to me the heavenly treasures of grace. O my Mother and my hope, through thy intercession obtain for me the grace to love thy Divine Son for all eternity.
Resolution: I will strive by repeated acts of humility to merit the grace of God upon all my actions.
Spiritual Bouquet: “He hath put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble.”
Prayer: O Mary, my Queen . . .
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