Ave Maria Meditations
And Elizabeth cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Enlightened interiorly by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth recognized her young cousin as the Mother of God, and deeply moved, breaks forth into words of praise and admiration. Mary makes no protest but listens with simplicity, knowing well that this praise is not due to her, but solely to the Almighty, who has done great things in her. Immediately her humble heart by a spontaneous movement, refers all Elizabeth’s praises to God. “My soul doth magnify the Lord!”
O Mary, how great is your humility when you hasten to serve others! If it is true that he who humbles himself will be exalted, who will be more exalted than you who have humbled yourself so much. But your profound humility in no way lessened your magnanimity; the greatness of your soul was not opposed to your humility. You, so small in your own eyes, were so magnanimous in your faith, in your hope in the Most High, that you never doubted His promises, and firmly believed that you would the Mother of the Son of God. Humility did not make you fainthearted; magnanimity did not make you proud, but these two virtues were perfectly combined in you.
O Mary, you cannot give me a share in your great privileges as Mother of God; these belong to you alone. But you want me to share in your virtues, giving me examples of them in yourself. If sincere humility, magnanimous faith, and delicate, sympathetic charity are lacking in me, how can I excuse myself? O Mary , O Mother of mercy, you who are full of grace, nourish us, your poor little ones, with your virtues!
Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD: Divine Intimacy
