"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."
Luke 1:38
Christ tells us “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”. These words from the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Luke are not the readings we find today in the lectionary; however, they beautifully correlate with the ones that we do find from the 1st chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Today’s readings radiate “humility” as the theme. The setting is Nazareth, a small, insignificant town in northern Palestine. The subject? Mary, a young Jewish girl of simple origins. But Mary and the town of Nazareth will never be the same after Mary, who is met by the angel, Gabriel, the Messenger of God, who greets her with a royal salutation, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” Gabriel tells her that she is to bear the Messiah, though she is a virgin. But in the midst of this seemingly impossible news, she chooses to humble herself, accepting and trusting the word of the angel, proclaiming, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Because of the humility of this poor young woman, the Lord God was made flesh in her very womb, and dwelt among us, so He could teach us with words of everlasting life, to show us how we should live, and to ultimately sacrifice Himself for our sins. And now, all generations will call Mary blessed, for she gave birth to Jesus of Nazareth. Who knows what the Lord can do with us if we too were to meet Him with such humility? With Advent coming to a close, maybe we should ask our heavenly Mother Mary to help us during these next days to grow in humility, so we may trust in God in any and all circumstances, no matter our situation.
How can I grow in humility these remaining days of Advent?
Blessed Mother, pray for us, and obtain for us humility like yours.
Today’s Reflection is by:
Benjamin Harris
Did you know...
Benjamin Harris is in his sophomore year at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana. His home parish is St. Theresa in Spring Hill, Florida. He is an avid fan of Tampa Bay sports, however, he is a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan. He enjoys cooking, playing sports, fishing, the outdoors, and talking about cars.
