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Article_Marys soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord

Homilies | Friday, July 29, 2016

Mary's soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord

Archbishop Wenski's homily after third catechesis at World Youth Day

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily after delivering his third catechesis to English-speaking pilgrims at Mary Help of Christians Church on the outskirts of Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day events. In attendance were groups from Jamaica, Great Britain and Miami. July 29, 2016. 

In today’s Gospel, we see exemplified the sublime greatness of Mary and why we rightly call her the Queen and Mother of Mercy. Before worrying about herself, Mary instead thought about elderly Elizabeth, whom she knew was well on in her pregnancy and, moved by the mystery of love that she had just welcomed within herself, she set out "in haste" to go to offer Elizabeth her help. Mary proclaimed with her whole life what she had replied to the angel at Nazareth: “I am the handmaid of the Lord.” Mary’s life has been a gift of self to God and to neighbor. And now Mary in heaven carries out a ministry of intercession on our behalf – ever in communion with her Son.

St. Bernard’s prayer, the Memorare, underlines the power of Mary’s intercession: “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.”

“Blessed are you among women,” Elizabeth tells Mary. Yet, Mary remains the humble maiden of Nazareth: She is not weighed down by pride or selfishness. She never forgets that she is the handmaid of the Lord, nor does she forget the gratuitous goodness of God. That we, too, might not forget, the Church entrusts to us her canticle of praise, the Magnificat, which we pray every evening at vespers.

Only by accepting God’s love and making of our existence a selfless and generous service to our neighbor can we joyfully lift a song of praise to the Lord. Pope Francis has said, “True worship does not exist if it is not translated into service of one’s neighbor.” We are called to be, as Mary was and is, an instrument of God’s mercy. We see this lived out in any number of ways in our parishes and in our Church’s various ministries: in our commitment to the education of young people, in our social ministry, our outreach to the homeless and the hungry. All this represents “a selfless and generous service to our neighbor” that has always characterized Catholics since the beginning of the Church when, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles took up collections to assist the poor. Again, to quote Pope Francis, “To ignore man’s suffering is to ignore God.”

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." Mary recognizes God's greatness. This is the first indispensable sentiment of faith. It is the sentiment that gives security to human creatures and frees from fear, even in the midst of the tempest of history.

This song of Mary, her Magnificat, is, in the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “an authentic and profound ‘theological’ reading of history: a reading that we must continually learn from the one whose faith is without shadow and without wrinkle.”

Going beyond the surface, Mary "sees" the work of God in history with the eyes of faith. This is why she is blessed, because she believed. By faith, in fact, she accepted the Word of the Lord and conceived the Incarnate Word. Her faith has shown her that the thrones of the powerful of this world are temporary, while God's throne is the only rock that does not change or fall. With the eyes of faith, we too can see the work of God in the history of this world in which we live, a world of fragile peace and broken promises.

With the eyes of faith, we can see God at work in these World Youth Days initiated – in spite of the doubts of many of his brother bishops - by Saint John Paul II.

Mary’s example of readiness and generosity in the service of others, seen in her visitation of Elizabeth, has been imitated by the selfless and generous service of the priests like Maximilian Kolbe who died at Auschwitz, and religious sisters like Faustina Kowalska. Mary’s example has been imitated over the centuries by faithful parents, by generous young people who in taking seriously the challenge of the gospel, even when marked by the sign of the cross, have been instruments of mercy.

As the Second Vatican Council taught, Mary is the Mother of the Church and is therefore the model for us as we try to live our Christian vocation in the world. Here in Poland, people have a deep Marian devotion as seen so beautifully in Czestochowa. This devotion puts before each of us an invitation to trust in God and to imitate Mary in what she herself said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Again, to quote Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “Her Magnificat, at the distance of centuries and millennia, remains the truest and most profound interpretation of history.” For all human history – without faith – is incomprehensible. As the Pope writes in Spe Salvi, “Human life is a journey. Towards what destination? How do we find the way? Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route…Holy Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, teach us to believe, to hope, to love with you. Show us the way to his Kingdom! Star of the Sea, shine upon us and guide us on our way!” (Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi)

Queen of Mercy, pray for us! 

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