The Pontiff stressed that God’s gaze was attracted by Mary’s humility and her secret was to recognize that she was small and in need.
Newsroom (16/08/2021 16:45, Gaudium Press) During the Angelus this Sunday, 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, Pope Francis reflected on the Mother of God’s example of humility, stressing that this is Mary’s secret. “It is humility that drew God’s gaze to her,” he assured.
From the window of his office in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pontiff taught the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square that “the human eye seeks greatness and is dazzled by what is showy. God, on the other hand, does not look at appearances, but at the heart and is delighted with humility. Today, looking at Mary Assumed into Heaven, we can say that humility is the way that leads to heaven.
God exalts the humble
Recalling the origin of the word humility, which comes from the Latin term ‘humus’, meaning ‘earth’, Pope Francis states that it is paradoxical that to reach the top, heaven, you have to remain low, like the earth. However, Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us that “he who humbles himself will be exalted”.
“God does not exalt us by our gifts, by our riches and abilities, but by our humility. God exalts the one who lowers himself, the one who serves. Mary, in fact, attributes to herself no other ‘title’ than that of servant: she is ‘the handmaid of the Lord’. She says nothing more about herself, she seeks nothing more for herself,” he assures.
The Holy Father invited the faithful to ask themselves the following questions: “How do I live humility? Do I seek to be recognized by others, to affirm myself and be praised, or do I think of serving? Do I know how to listen, like Mary, or do I only want to speak and receive attention? Do I know how to be silent, like Mary, or am I always talking? Do I know how to take a step back, avoid quarrels and arguments, or do I just try to stand out?”.
Our Lady’s secret
The Pope then revealed that the secret of Our Lady’s success was to recognise herself as small and needy. “With God, only those who recognize themselves as nothing are able to receive everything. Only those who empty themselves are filled by Him. And Mary is the ‘full of grace‘ precisely because of her humility,” he taught.
“For us too, humility is the starting point, the beginning of our Faith. It is fundamental to be poor in spirit, that is, in need of God. He who is full of himself makes no room for God, but he who remains humble allows the Lord to accomplish great things,” he stressed.
Another great lesson we can draw from Mary’s example, is “to think that the humblest and tallest creature in history, the first to conquer the heavens with all herself, body and soul, spent most of her life within the walls of her home, in everyday life. The days of the full of grace were not very impressive. They were often the same, in silence: outside, nothing extraordinary. But God’s gaze always remained on her, admired for her humility, her availability, for the beauty of her heart, never touched by sin”. (EPC)
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