Ave Maria Meditations
The whole of Mary’s life is permeated with a deep simplicity. She always carries out her vocation as Mother of the Redeemer naturally. She (goes to) her cousin Elizabeth’s house to help and look after her…She prepares the swaddling clothes and everything for her Son.
She lives for 30 years with Jesus, never tiring of looking at Him, treating Him with great love with complete simplicity. When she obtained her first miracle from her Son in Cana she does it so naturally that not even the bride and groom realize what a wonderful event is taking place. She never makes a show of her special privileges. Mary, the most holy mother of God, passes unnoticed as just one more among the women of her town. Learn from her how to live with naturalness.
Our Lady is simplicity and naturalness; her humanity is very specially welcoming and attractive. Jesus, her Son, during the 30 years of His hidden life is always the model of perfect simplicity. When He began to preach the good news, He does not carry out a noisy spectacular activity. Jesus is simplicity itself in his birth, in the presentation in the temple, or when He manifest His divinity through the miracles which God alone can work. Our Savior shuns all show and vain glory. He makes himself accessible who come to Him trustingly…to the apostles who ask the meaning of the parables and to the little children who embrace Him confidently.
Simplicity is a sign of humility. It is radically opposed to anything false, artificial or deceitful. It is also a very necessary virtue for our dealings with God, for spiritual guidance, and for our daily life with those around us. Simplicity is a consequence and characteristic of the spiritual childhood to which our Lord calls us. Simplicity and naturalness are extremely attractive. We need to know that these are difficult virtues because pride gives us an exaggerated idea of ourselves. However the simplicity our Lord teaches is not naivety. Remember, he said, I am sending you out to be like sheep among wolves: you must then be prudent as serpents and yet innocent as doves.
We Christians have to go through the world with these two virtues, simplicity and prudence, which mutually perfect each other. To be simple we have to be careful to have a right intention in our actions which should be directed to God. To learn how to be simple we contemplate Jesus, Mary and Joseph, asking them to make us like children before God, that we may talk to Him personally without anonymity and without fear .
Fr. Francis Fernandez
