Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 12-22-05

December 22, 2005
Thursday of the Fourth Week in Advent

Psalm: Thursday 2

Reading I
1 Sm 1:24-28

In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”
She left Samuel there.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel
Lk 1:46-56

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.

From: 1 Samuel 1:24-28

Consecration of Samuel (Continuation)

[24] And when she (Hannah) had weaned him (Samuel), she took him up
with her, along with a three-year old bull, an ephah of flour, and a
skin of wine; and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh;
and the child was young. [25] Then they slew the bull, and they
brought the child to Eli. [26] And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you
live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence,
praying to the Lord. [27] For this child I prayed; and the Lord has
granted me my petition which I made to him. [28] Therefore I have lent
him to the Lord, as long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

And they worshipped the Lord there.

Commentary:

1:1-7:17. The books of Samuel begin with an account of the birth of
the man from whom they take their name, that is, Samuel, who will
become a judge of Israel and a prophet. The beginning is like the book
of Exodus, which also begins with a birth--that of Moses. In fact,
many of Moses’ features apply to Samuel: just as Moses inaugurated a
new and very important stage in the history of the people, so Samuel
marks the start of the monarchical period, which will forever leave
its imprint on the religious profile of Israel.

The story of Samuel comprises only the first part of 1 Samuel, the
first seven chapters, which also contain the history of the ark. The
narrative includes three distinct accounts arranged in such a way that
the first and last have the same protagonist—the birth, calling and
activity of Samuel as a prophet (chaps. 1-3), the history of the ark
(chaps. 4-6), and then Samuel’s activity as a judge (chap. 7).
Although these narratives may have been independent originally, in the
final biblical text they form a perfect unity in doctrinal terms, from
the point of view of the setting of events (the shrine at Shiloh), and
in the identity of their protagonists, Samuel and the priests, the
sons of Eli. The shrine at Shiloh, which was located between Bethel
and Shechem and which was a main center of worship in the era of the
judges (Judg 21:19-21), acquires special importance at this point:
Shiloh will be where the monarchical power begins, and its splendor
will transfer to the temple of Jerusalem when the ark moves there.

The sons of Eli were the last priests of Shiloh. Whereas Samuel was
perfectly faithful to the will of God, the sons of Eli had gradually
corrupted the practices of their priestly function; with their death,
the temple at Shiloh ceases to have any importance.

The doctrinal thread moving through the three episodes is God’s active
intervention in all these important events in the life of the people:
to him is due the prodigy of Samuel’s birth (1:1-20)--Samuel, the man
chosen to open the way to the monarchy; it is God who exposes the sin
of the sons of Eli (chap. 2) and initiates the charming dialogue in
which Samuel receives his calling (chap. 3). In the episode of the
ark, it is the Lord who punishes his people by taking away the ark,
the sign of his presence (chap. 4); it is he who visits countless
misfortunes on the Philistines who have taken possession of the ark
(chap. 5) and it is he who forces them to return it to Israel, which
receives it with delight (chap. 6). Finally, the Lord makes Samuel a
judge over his people (chap. 5), able to exercise his function at all
the shrines of Israel--in Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah (7:15).

From the very start, the book of Samuel is a sort of religious
interpretation of history, in the sense that it puts more emphasis on
the meaning of the events it narrates than on their chronological
order or their geographical situation. Samuel is a figure of Christ who
will initiate the final stage of salvation through his complete
obedience to the will of God (cf. Phil 2:8).

1:1-28. Samuel’s birth is described with all the elements denoting a
miraculous event, emphasizing divine intervention and the child’s
importance. With no hope of a human solution, a childless woman,
humiliated by her husband’s (other) fertile wife, seeks a way out of
her anguish by asking God, her only hope, to give her a son. Her
husband loves her, but he cannot understand her (v. 8); Eli, the
priest and head of the shrine at Shiloh, comes to bless her but even
he cannot understand her (vv. 15-l7). God is the only one who listens
to her, and he accepts the vow she has made to him (v. 11). Hannah
follows in the line of Sarah, Rachel and the mother of Samson--other women in
whom the action of God could be seen very clearly when he took away
the stigma of their barrenness. But, above all, she is the prototype
of the devout woman who perseveres in prayer, convinced that it will
be heard. “Why is it necessary to list here all those who, by praying
as they ought to do, won from God the greatest gifts? For it would be
easy for anyone to take an abundant sample of cases based in holy
Scripture. Hannah gave birth to Samuel, who was to be compared with
Moses himself (cf. Jer 15:1), because although she was sterile, she
had faith and prayed to the Lord (1 Sam 1:9ff). [...] How many favors
each of us could tell of if we recalled with gratitude the gifts we
have received in order to praise God for them! Once they have been
watered by the grace of the Holy Spirit through constant prayer, souls
that have gone for a long time without bearing fruit, sterile in the
most noble part of their being and with the signs of death on their
souls, think wholesome thoughts and are filled with the knowledge of
the truth” (Origen, "De Oratione", 13, 2-3).

Hannah, who will bear Samuel in her womb, is a figure of Mary and also
“a symbol of the Church which carries the Lord. Her prayer is not
clamorous, rather it is calm and refined; she prays in the depths of
her heart because she knows that God listens to her there” (St
Cyprian, "De Oratione Dominica", 5).

Samuel comes into the world as a gift from God; he is the one who was
“asked for of the Lord” (cf. v. 20), according to a popular etymology
of his name. His mission on earth will be as exceptional as his birth;
Hannah presents him at the shrine: “as long as he lives he is lent
the Lord” (v. 28). Samuel is brought up by the priest at the shrine of
Shiloh (cf. Judg 18:31; 21:19), that is, within the ancient
institutions of the time of the judges; thus, the new institutions he
will establish do not imply any break with or rejection of what went before.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 1:46-56

The Magnificat

[46] And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, [47] and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior, [48] for He has regarded the low estate of
His handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me
blessed; [49] for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and
holy is His name. [50] And His mercy is on those who fear Him from
generation to generation. [51] He has shown strength with His arm, He
has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, [52] He has
put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low
degree; [53] He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He
has sent empty away. [54] He has helped His servant Israel, in
remembrance of His mercy, [55] as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham
and to his posterity for ever."

[56] And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her
home.

Commentary:

46-55. Mary's "Magnificat" canticle is a poem of singular beauty. It
evokes certain passages of the Old Testament with which she would have
been very familiar (especially 1 Samuel 2:1-10).

Three stanzas may be distinguished in the canticle: in the first
(verses 46-50) Mary glorifies God for making her the Mother of the
Savior, which is why future generations will call her blessed; she
shows that the Incarnation is a mysterious _expression of God's power
and holiness and mercy. In the second (verses 51-53) she teaches us
that the Lord has always had a preference for the humble, resisting the
proud and boastful. In the third (verses 54-55) she proclaims that
God, in keeping with His promise, has always taken care of His chosen
people--and now does them the greatest honor of all by becoming a Jew
(cf. Romans 1:3).

"Our prayer can accompany and imitate this prayer of Mary. Like her,
we feel the desire to sing, to acclaim the wonders of God, so that all
mankind and all creation may share our joy" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By", 144).

46-47. "The first fruits of the Holy Spirit are peace and joy. And the
Blessed Virgin had received within herself all the grace of the Holy
Spirit" (St. Basil, "In Psalmos Homilae", on Psalm 32). Mary's soul
overflows in the words of the "Magnificat". God's favors cause every
humble soul to feel joy and gratitude. In the case of the Blessed
Virgin, God has bestowed more on her than on any other creature.
"Virgin Mother of God, He whom the heavens cannot contain, on becoming
man, enclosed Himself within your womb" ("Roman Missal", Antiphon of
the Common of the Mass for Feasts of Our Lady). The humble Virgin of
Nazareth is going to be the Mother of God; the Creator's omnipotence
has never before manifested itself in as complete a way as this.

48-49. Mary's _expression of humility causes St. Bede to exclaim: "It
was fitting, then, that just as death entered the world through the
pride of our first parents, the entry of Life should be manifested by
the humility of Mary" ("In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").

"How great the value of humility!--"Quia respexit humilitatem.... It
is not of her faith, nor of her charity, nor of her immaculate purity
that our Mother speaks in the house of Zachary. Her joyful hymn sings:
`Since He has looked on my humility, all generations will call me
blessed'" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 598).

God rewards our Lady's humility by mankind's recognition of her
greatness: "All generations will call me blessed." This prophecy is
fulfilled every time someone says the Hail Mary, and indeed she is
praised on earth continually, without interruption. "From the earliest
times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God,
under whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in
all their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of
Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth in the cult of the people of God
towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation,
according to her own prophetic words: `all generations will call me
blessed, for He who is mighty has done great things for me'" (Vatican
II, "Lumen Gentium", 66).

50. "And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to
generation": "At the very moment of the Incarnation, these words open
up a new perspective of salvation history. After the Resurrection of
Christ, this perspective is new on both the historical and the
eschatological level. From that time onwards there is a succession of
new generations of individuals in the immense human family, in
ever-increasing dimensions; there is also a succession of new
generations of the people of God, marked with the sign of the Cross and
of the Resurrection and `sealed' with the sign of the paschal mystery
of Christ, the absolute revelation of the mercy that Mary proclaimed on
the threshold of her kinswoman's house: "His mercy is [...] from
generation to generation' [...].

"Mary, then, is the one who has the "deepest knowledge of the mystery
of God's mercy". She knows its price, she knows how great it is. In
this sense, we call her the "Mother of Mercy": Our Lady of Mercy, or
Mother of Divine Mercy; in each one of these titles there is a deep
theological meaning, for they express the special preparation of her
soul, of her whole personality, so that she was able to perceive,
through the complex events, first of Israel, then of every individual
and of the whole of humanity, that mercy of which `from generation to
generation' people become sharers according to the eternal design of
the Most Holy Trinity" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 9).

51. "The proud": those who want to be regarded as superior to others,
whom they look down on. This also refers to those who, in their
arrogance, seek to organize society without reference to, or in
opposition to, God's law. Even if they seem to do so successfully, the
words of our Lady's canticle will ultimately come true, for God will
scatter them as He did those who tried to build the Tower of Babel,
thinking that they could reach as high as Heaven (cf. Genesis 11:4).

"When pride takes hold of a soul, it is no surprise to find it bringing
along with it a whole string of other vices--greed, self-indulgence,
envy, injustice. The proud man is always vainly striving to dethrone
God, who is merciful to all His creatures, so as to make room for
himself and his ever cruel ways.

"We should beg God not to let us fall into this temptation. Pride is
the worst sin of all, and the most ridiculous.... Pride is unpleasant,
even from a human point of view. The person who rates himself better
than everyone and everything is constantly studying himself and looking
down on other people, who in turn react by ridiculing his foolish
vanity" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 100).

53. This form of divine providence has been experienced countless times
over the course of history. For example, God nourished the people of
Israel with manna during their forty years in the wilderness (Exodus
16:4-35); similarly His angel brought food to Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-8),
and to Daniel in the lions' den (Daniel 14:31-40); and the widow of
Sarepta was given a supply of oil which miraculously never ran out (1
Kings 17:8ff). So, too, the Blessed Virgin's yearning for holiness was
fulfilled by the incarnation of the Word.

God nourished the chosen people with His Law and the preaching of His
prophets, but the rest of mankind was left hungry for His word, a
hunger now satisfied by the Incarnation. This gift of God will be
accepted by the humble; the self-sufficient, having no desire for the
good things of God, will not partake of them (cf. St. Basil, "In
Psalmos Homilae", on Psalm 33).

54. God led the people of Israel as He would a child whom He loved
tenderly: "the Lord your God bore you, as a man bears his son, in all
the way that you went" (Deuteronomy 1:31). He did so many times, using
Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, etc., and now He gives them a definitive
leader by sending the Messiah--moved by His great mercy which takes
pity on the wretchedness of Israel and of all mankind.

55. God promised the patriarchs of old that He would have mercy on
mankind. This promise He made to Adam (Genesis 3:15), Abraham (Genesis
22:18), David (2 Samuel 7:12), etc. From all eternity God had planned
and decreed that the Word should become incarnate for the salvation of
all mankind. As Christ Himself put it, "God so loved the world that He
gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Collect:
God our Father, you sent your Son to free mankind from the power of death. May we who celebrate the coming of Christ as man share more fully in his divine life, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Activities:

less

Prayers:

less

December 22, 2005

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

"A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return" (Luke 19:12). This nobleman is Christ, the Son of God, King of all nations. His kingdom is over all men and over all things, both material and spiritual. He has everything in His hand as God and man. But another, Satan, has broken into His kingdom and has made himself master of many of Christ's subjects. In the old dispensation only a small part of humanity, the chosen people, remained faithful to the almighty King.

Christ, the Son of God, came into this "far country" in order to become man and, by means of humility, obedience, and poverty, to cast out the usurper who had taken His subjects. He came to reassert His dominion over all those who had left Him, both Jews and Gentiles.

O Antiphons ~ King of the Gentiles

6th O Antiphon:

And their desired one,
Cornerstone,
Who makest two into one,

COME
Save man,
Whom thou didst fashion out of slime.

"Come and save man, whom Thou hast made out of dust." What is man? He is but a particle of dust, an insignificant creature who has further separated himself from God through sin. He has been cut off from the fountain of truth and banished from God to darkness and misery. Still in the ruins there dwells a spirit that possesses a capacity for truth. In these ashes there is yet a spark that may be fanned to life to burn with the brilliance of divine life. But only God can revive this flame. For this reason the Church cries out, "Come and save man, whom Thou hast made out of dust." Save him who is so weak, so miserable and helpless. Remember his nothingness. Consider the many enemies who lay snares to rob him of divine life and to entice him into sin. Think of his obscured knowledge and his proneness to evil, of his tendency to error, and his weakness in the face of temptation. Guard him from the enticements of the world; shelter him from the poison of erroneous teaching; deliver him from the devil and his angels.

During these days before Christmas, the Church contemplates the overwhelming misery of unregenerated mankind. She cries out, "Come and save man, whom Thou hast made out of dust."

Jesus is King of all nations. "The kings of the earth stood up and the princes met together against the Lord and against His Christ. Let us break their bonds asunder, and let us cast away their yoke from us. He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall deride them. Then shall He speak to them in His anger and trouble them in His rage. But I am appointed king by Him over Sion, His holy mountain. ... The Lord hath said to Me; Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Ps. 2:2-8). Well may Herod seek the life of the newborn king. Indeed, many kings and tribes and nations in the course of time shall deprecate the divine King, Christ. But to Him has been given all power in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28: i8). Before Him every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall confess that He is the Lord (Phil. 2:10f.).

The more the mighty condemn the kingship of Christ, the more shall He be exalted by the Father.

Now He comes to us in the form of a lovely child. One day in the presence of the Roman governor He will assert His right to kingship. But after this one public confession of His royal origin He withdraws again into the obscurity which He had freely chosen. For the present He is satisfied with this manifestation of His royal dignity. The day will come, however, when He will manifest it with power and majesty as He comes again on the clouds of heaven. Before all nations God will declare: "I have anointed Him King of Sion. My holy mountain." All men shall pay Him homage as king; all nations shall acclaim Him the King of Glory.

Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

Today is Day Seven of the Christmas Novena.

A hymn based on Psalm 103, but inclusive of the opening verses of the Magnificat, today's Gospel:

"My Soul, Now Bless Thy Maker"
by Johann Gramann, 1487-1541

1. My soul, now bless thy Maker!
Let all within me bless His name
Who maketh thee partaker
Of mercies more than thou dar'st claim.
Forget Him not whose meekness
Still bears with all thy sin,
Who healeth all thy weakness,
Renews thy life within;
Whose grace and care are endless
And saved thee through the past;
Who leaves no sufferer friendless,
But rights the wronged at last.

2. He shows to man His treasure
Of judgment, truth, and righteousness,
His love beyond all measure,
His yearning pity o'er distress,
Nor treats us as we merit,
But lays His anger by,
The humble, contrite spirit
Finds His compassion nigh;
And high as heaven above us,
As break from close of day,
So far, since He doth love us,
He puts our sins away.

3. For as a tender father
Hath pity on his children here,
He in His arms will gather
All who are His in childlike fear.
He knows how frail our powers
Who but from dust are made;
We flourish like the flowers,
And even so we fade;
The wind but o'er them passes,
And all their bloom is o'er,-
We wither like the grasses,
Our place knows us no more.

4. God's grace alone endureth,
And children's children yet shall prove
How He with strength assureth
The hearts of all that seek His love.
In heaven is fixed His dwelling,
His rule is over all;
Angels, in might excelling,
Bright hosts, before Him fall.
Praise Him, who ever reigneth,
All ye who hear His Word,
Nor our poor hymns disdaineth-
My soul, oh, bless the Lord!

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn 34
Text: Psalm 103
Author: Johann Gramann, 1525
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
Titled: Nun lob, mein' Seel', den Herre
Tune: Nun lob, mein' Seel'
1st Published in: "Concentus Novi"
Town: Augsburg, 1540

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Let Your Deeds Speak Your Thanks
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Thursday, December 22, 2005

1 Samuel 1:24-28 / Luke 1:46-56

Few of us ever recognize the full extent of God’s remarkable and unique gifts to us. The main reason for that is that for as long as we can remember we’ve always had our gifts, beginning with the gift of life. We can’t remember a time when we weren’t alive. And to imagine the world without us seems very strange indeed.

But remember it or not, we did have a beginning, a moment when our good Creator “piled our plate high” with a splendid array of gifts, none of which we earned or merited. If we are ever to get our relationship with God right, we’ve got to get clear about this: When we didn’t even exist, God gave us life and everything else, not because we earned it, but because God is God, that is, generous beyond all understanding.

Mary understood this, she was grateful deep in her soul, and she knew what to do about it. She not only prayed her thanks in the Magnificat prayer we hear in today’s Gospel, she lived her thanks all her life long by sharing and giving away the gifts that God had entrusted to her, most especially her special gift for loving and being faithful.

As you prepare to celebrate the greatest Gift that God ever gave us, His own son Jesus, take the time to name all your gifts and give thanks for them. And prepare your heart to live a life of gratitude, a life of sharing God’s gifts with those for whom they were entrusted to you. Do that and the joy of Christmas will be yours all year round.

A Voice in the Desert

Thursday December 22, 2005 Fourth Week of Advent

Reading (1 Samuel 1:24-28) Gospel (St. Luke 1:46-56)

In the Gospel reading today, we hear the glorious song of our Blessed Lady at the time that she visited her cousin Elizabeth; it is the hymn known as the “Magnificat.” It is Our Lady’s hymn in response to Elizabeth who called our Blessed Mother truly blessed among women.

Our Lady, you notice, immediately removes any focus from herself. She says, My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior. So it is not about her. It is easy, of course, for Elizabeth to see what the Lord has done for Our Lady and to call Our Lady blessed, and indeed she is. Yet, at the same time, if we just put ourselves into a similar situation, if somebody were to say to you, “Look at how blessed you are! You are just the best! You are the greatest!” we would have to say, “Wait, wait, wait. Anything good that you see, God has to get the credit. It isn’t about me; it’s about Him. If He has done something in me that deserves some kind of praise, then He is the one who deserves the praise, not me.” We can all understand why we should do that–unfortunately, we do not always do it so well–but that is the reality of what needs to happen. Our Lady’s humility is such that she did not even hesitate. She did not seek one ounce of glory for herself; she gave it all to God.

Then she lays out for us exactly the way that we too can be blessed the way she is; obviously, not to be able to conceive Christ and bear Him, but rather to have the grace of God and to walk according to His way. And so she goes on, after stating in her humility that all generations will call her blessed, and she says, first of all, that God has mercy on those who fear Him. That is not being afraid of Him; it is that filial fear, that is, the fear of offending God, that we would love Him so much that we would not want to offend Him even in the slightest way, to have that proper kind of reverence in the Lord’s presence.

Then she says, He has shown the strength of His arm and scattered the proud in their conceit. The proud think that they do not need God, so God shows His strength. And He shows His strength in ways that seem so hidden. In this particular case, He showed His strength through the conception of a baby. It is hidden; you cannot even see it at this point. Yet, at the same time, this child was conceived of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. You see the power of God. And through the most humble of means, that is, through a baby and a mother, God has completely scattered all the proud.

But if we want to be able to do the Will of God, we need to get rid of the pride. Just as Our Lady would say that God has looked upon his lowly servant, that is the opposite of those who think they are something important. God cannot do anything with somebody who thinks they are important because they will get in the way. They do not think that they need God, so He cannot do anything with them anyway. We need to get out of the way. We need to be humble, to see ourselves as lowly. Saint Paul says that each one of us should think humbly of ourselves as being lower than everyone else, thinking everyone else to be greater than we. So here we have Our Lady, the most perfect human person to ever live, and that is exactly what she did; she made herself less than everyone else. She was the most humble human person ever to live. Our Lord, Who is God, took the form of a slave and made Himself less than a slave. Again, here we have the two greatest persons ever to live and what did they do? Made themselves little, humble, and nothing. It is kind of the opposite of what most of us tend to do.

And she says that God has cast down the mighty from their thrones, but He has lifted up the lowly. Again, we see what happens. If we are willing to make ourselves humble, He will exalt us, which is exactly what He said He would do. God will always humble those who exalt themselves, but He will exalt those who humble themselves. He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich He has sent away empty. The rich do not need God; they can rely on their money, as far as they are concerned. They think that they have it made. But when things get difficult, they are going to find out exactly how much their wealth has gotten in the way and how much it has led them astray from God. But those who are poor, those who have always relied on God, He will continue to bless them and fill them. He has not made their lives easy, but He will always provide. That is a lesson most of us need to learn.

And then, He has come to the help of His servant Israel because He has remembered His promise of mercy. God’s promises are forever. They never stop, they never go away, and they never change. When God speaks a promise, it is perfect and it will be fulfilled exactly as He spoke it. Now that does not mean that the way we understood it is the way it will be fulfilled, but the way that He spoke it will be fulfilled perfectly.

So if we can learn, like our Blessed Lady, to simply trust God, to be humble, to be charitable, and to get out of the way, then God can raise up, He can do great things in us, and we will be blessed. But that requires our cooperation with His grace to become humble, to become lowly, to become small. These are not things that we do naturally and they are not things that come easily. We need to pray for that grace, and when the grace is given we need to try to cooperate with it, and in this way to learn from our Blessed Lady exactly the best way for our souls to magnify the Lord.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

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