During this Marian Year in our diocese, we should look to our Blessed Mother to lift our hearts amid all that can bring us down in society. Our Blessed Mother tells us to do whatever Jesus tells us (Jn. 2:5). What does he tell us? He says, “Let your hearts not be troubled” (Jn 14:1). We can do this by looking to Mary: her heavenly wisdom, ardent charity and lively faith.
First, we aim our hearts to reflect upon Mary’s heavenly wisdom. Wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective; having our worlds revolve around God. Hence Mary says, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to thy word” (Lk 1:38). Her wisdom combats the modern ideal of humanistic immanentism, which states the world revolves around me. In this, we only do things in the context of how it makes us feel. If it makes us uncomfortable, we shouldn’t do it. If people contradict “my truth,” they must be silenced. Mary shows us in her heavenly wisdom that this is not a wise way to live. If I’m only focused on myself, I stunt my ability to focus on others, thus, to love. This is the great heartache that is going on in our world today; we are losing the ability to love. Our focus should not be immanentism, but transcendence. We must focus not just on ourselves but look outside ourselves to do what we were made to — love.
Second, we embrace Mary’s ardent charity. When we think of charity, many think of things like being nice, providing food for people and making donations of money. These are actions of goodwill but are not necessarily charity. Charity is a theological virtue, which means it necessarily must involve God. Mary’s Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) demonstrates this. Mary’s Canticle of Charity speaks of all the things that God has done, and how everything is meant to be guided toward him. We do many nice things based on goodwill but have less and less charity because we exclude God. We must ask ourselves while doing our niceties, “Are we keeping God in the equation?” If not, are we making the world a more charitable place or creating a society full of goodwilled people, but absent of God?
Our souls are meant to proclaim the greatness of the Lord as Mary reminds us; this is charity, not simply “good deeds” void of God. Mary tells us in her Magnificat, our greatness, our charity, our works, must proclaim God. Goodwill is “good,” but it is only a springboard to what ultimately fulfills us, who is God.
Lastly, we examine Mary’s lively faith. We read that Mary “went in haste” (Lk 1:39) to visit Elizabeth. Mary believed what God told her through the archangel Gabriel. Thus, she made an act of faith. However, that faith did not lie dormant. Mary’s faith grew because it was not centered on self or what she could get out of it, but it was based on how she could bring God’s support to her elder cousin. God was her aim. This allowed her faith to become lively because it was animated by charity. Charity is what helps us to move in haste toward doing the will of God. This is the necessary medicine we need to combat the sin of acedia that has enslaved our culture. Acedia, which Benedictine Father Jean-Charles Nault calls “the noonday devil,” is defined as having a sluggishness in doing the things pertaining to God. Mary demonstrates that to crush the head of this noonday devil (Gen 3:15) of acedia, we must be animated by charity instead of focusing on just ourselves.
In conclusion, we see that Mary shows us the path to peace in our hearts and in the world by exemplifying heavenly wisdom, ardent charity and lively faith. When we see things with wisdom we move from immanence to transcendence, thus enabling ourselves to embrace authentic love. In taking on ardent charity, we move from being people of simply goodwill, to being people of charity accepting our call to be saints. Mary’s lively faith helps us to get out of the rut of acedia being led by Mary who always brings us to Christ who came “so we may have life more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). So, when we think of the world and need a little inspiration, “Let your heart not be troubled” (Jn 14:1), simply go to Mary.
Deacon Anthony serves at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville.
Corpus Christi