Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior… 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.” Luke 1:46; 52–53
The last two sentences quoted from our Blessed Mother’s song of praise give us much to ponder. She, who is the Mother of God and full of grace, rejoiced that God “cast the mighty down from their thrones” and “the rich he sent away empty.” It’s understandable that she rejoiced in God Who “has lifted up the lowly” and “has filled the hungry with good things,” but the first two statements might give us pause.
In this context, when people are “mighty” and “rich,” we must understand this to mean those who act in a self-sufficient way, not recognizing their need for God. This tendency is easy to fall into. It is especially tempting for those who are successful in life. Without a deep prayer life and awareness of God’s activity in our lives, we can easily fall into the trap of thinking that we are in charge of our own destiny. When this happens, the most merciful thing God can do for us is to cast us down from our self-sufficient throne and send us away to experience the emptiness of our worldly riches. The key to happiness in life is not attaining great power or riches.
The key is found in humility, by which we recognize our absolute need for and dependence on God. Why? Because as the great Saint Augustine wrote in his book Confessions, “You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You, oh Lord.”
Would you be happier if you were rich or poor? Powerful or powerless? Famous or unknown? These questions cannot be answered because neither riches nor poverty, power nor powerlessness, fame nor obscurity have anything to do with true happiness. Though each person falling into any of these categories can find happiness, the categories themselves do not determine that happiness. True happiness comes by discovering God within one’s spiritual poverty and hunger.
When we perceive our souls correctly, we will understand Saint Augustine’s famous quote. We will realize that God alone fulfills us, and that doing His will enables us to become who we were created to be. When that discovery happens, we will hunger and thirst for God, and doing the will of God will become the all-consuming desire of our souls. Our God, in His great mercy and love for us, loves such a humble and hungry soul, lavishing spiritual riches upon it.
Reflect today on the intense interior fulfillment our Blessed Mother had. She did not live in a lavish castle with numerous servants. She was not the governor of her town, exercising great temporal power. But she was happy beyond what we can imagine because in her lowliness, humility, and hunger for God, she found perfect satisfaction. As you ponder her happiness, seek her intercession and strive to follow her example, no matter what temporal or worldly situation you find yourself in.
Dearest Mother Mary, you rejoiced and proclaimed God’s greatness, not because of any material or passing blessings God gave you but because of the spiritual richness you possessed within your soul. Please pray for me, that I will discover God’s presence in my life as the true source of fulfillment and will hunger for Him with every desire of my soul. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: Magnificat by Lawrence OP, license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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