Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has a long tradition in our Christian history. Poets, songwriters and artists have portrayed the Mother of God in words, music and art that have inspired millions. Mary has stood for the highest form of human virtue. Piety, purity, gentleness, compassion and loving obedience have made her a model disciple, generation after generation. In our contemporary culture, however, these virtues are not automatically admired. As a matter of fact, they go against the grain of a society that that puts a premium on rugged individualism, aggressive self-assertion, fierce competition and power. The suggestion that Mary should be a model for our times is likely to fall on many deaf ears. In terms of modern success stories, “What did Mary ever do?”
From childhood on, we learn that life is a battle. Struggle to get ahead is the rule of the game. Children are instructed early on about their rights and are encouraged to “fight back.” Schooling encourages students to measure themselves against the strengths of others. Signs of weakness, as many see it, are scorned and put down. Competition is the rule in sports, grades, looks, personality and possessions. “Training for real life” is learning a system of “angles” and maneuvering to gain advantage. Character and nobility are to be merited by conspicuous action and the trappings of material success.
The lesson we can learn from Miriam of Nazareth is that there is something supremely honorable in being just who we are. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, in today’s reading from Luke, addresses her simply as “blessed.” We are noble not because of what we do or have done, but for who we are as sons and daughters of the Living God. As with Mary, we are ultimately worthy not because of resounding achievements, but because of our relationship with God. Knowing that our self-esteem is not primarily dependent on our accomplishments but on who we are as children of a Loving Creator can have a dramatic impact on the way we understand ourselves as “successful.”
Without having to struggle – to accomplish – to make ourselves worthwhile, we can be less anxious about things that don’t matter and more empowered to pursue what does. There is serenity in simplicity, strength in weakness, bliss in purity of heart and a success story in openness to God’s loving design. With the practice of Mary’s virtues we might find that our happiness and the well-being of society are enhanced dramatically.
There is something about Mary as a model that resonates deeply with the needs of the human heart. She provides a necessary balance to the aggressive exploitation, dog-eat-dog competitiveness, impersonalism and callousness that so often characterize “developed” cultures. What did Mary ever do? It isn’t what she did that elevates her in our hearts, but what she was: humble, meek and mild. For the sake of all of us who fear for the future of our world, it should be our hope and prayer that it will be the meek, those who show patience and humility, those who are long-suffering, who take possession of the earth.
This Feast of the Assumption of Mary is a reminder that whatever constitutes the essential human person will not be lost in the transition of death. The fullness of the human person is destined to live on in God. The injustices of the world are going to be corrected. God is going to bring this world to its fulfillment. This is the Great Assurance. When and how this final victory will be established is not known to us. We pray “that what has been spoken to us by the Lord would be fulfilled.” We have been caught up and are being carried into a destiny by the Mighty One whose Name is holy.
Good friends, this is my last reflection for the daily email. It has been a joy to share God’s Word with you and to reflect prayerfully together on its meaning for us in the dailyness of our lives as disciples in our time and place.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I embark upon my new Jesuit assignment in Baltimore, Maryland. Know that you have a lasting place in my pastoral heart. For all that has been, profound thanks and for all that will be, a confident YES!