Day Seven of Lent – A Lowly Servant of the Lord

REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Day Seven of Lent
A Lowly Servant of the Lord

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.” Luke 1:46-48

As our Blessed Mother stood before the Cross of her Son, would “all ages” call that a “blessed” moment? Was she blessed, as she says in her song of praise, to behold the cruel and brutal death of her Son?

Though her experience at the foot of the Cross would have been one of exceptional pain, sorrow and sacrifice, it was also a moment of exceptional blessing. That moment, while she stood gazing with love at her crucified Son, was a moment of extraordinary grace. It was a moment through which the world was redeemed by suffering. And she chose to witness this perfect sacrifice of love with her own eyes and to ponder it with her own heart. She chose to rejoice in a God who could bring forth so much good from so much pain.

In our own lives, when we face struggles and suffering, we are easily tempted to turn in on ourselves in hurt and despair. We can easily lose sight of the blessings we have been given in life. The Father did not impose pain and suffering upon His Son and our Blessed Mother, but it was His will that they enter into this moment of great persecution. Jesus entered into this moment so as to transform it and redeem all suffering. Our Blessed Mother chose to enter into this moment so as to be the first and greatest witness to the love and power of God alive in her Son. The Father also daily invites each one of us to rejoice with our Blessed Mother as we are invited to stand and face the Cross.

Though the Scripture passage cited above recalls words our Blessed Mother spoke while she was pregnant with Jesus and went to meet Elizabeth, they are words that would have continually been on her lips. She would have proclaimed the greatness of the Lord, rejoiced in God her Savior and savored her numerous blessings in life over and over again. She would have done so in moments like the Visitation, and she would have done so in moments like the Crucifixion.

Reflect, today, upon the words and the heart of our Blessed Mother. Speak these words in your own prayer today. Say them within the context of whatever you are going through in life. Let them become a daily source of your faith and hope in God. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord, rejoice in God your Savior, and know that God’s blessings are abundant every day no matter what you experience in life. When life is consoling, see the blessing in it. When life is painful, see the blessing in it. Allow the witness of the Mother of God to inspire you each and every day of your life.

PRAYER

Dearest Mother, your words spoken at the Visitation, proclaiming the greatness of God, are words pouring forth from the great joy of the Incarnation. This joy of yours extends far and wide and filled you with strength as you later stood watching your Child die a brutal death. The joy of your pregnancy touched you, once again, in this moment of deepest sorrow.

Dearest Mother, help me to imitate your song of praise in my own life. Help me to see God’s blessings in every aspect of life. Draw me into your own gaze of love to see the glory of the sacrifice of your own beloved Son.

My precious Lord Jesus, You are the greatest blessing in this world. You are all blessings! Everything good comes from You. Help me to fix my eyes upon You each and every day and to be made fully aware of the power of Your Sacrifice of Love. May I rejoice in this gift and always proclaim Your greatness.

40 Days Journey with Our Lord
Day Seven: Heat

The desert is not only dry, barren, and a place of solitude, it is also hot. The desert’s dry heat takes a toll on the body and dehydrates it. As the sun rises, the temperature rises, and there is little one can do in the desert to find relief.

One human quality that would be essential for Jesus to possess in order to endure the sun and the heat for forty days is patient endurance. Just imagine the sun coming up each day and producing an unbearably scorching heat. The dry heat would bring thirst, and possibly dehydration. The sun would set at the end of the day, and the cycle would begin again the next day, for forty consecutive days.

Jesus permitted Himself to endure this cycle of daily exposure to severe heat as a way of endowing human nature with the supernatural gift of patient endurance. Day in and day out, for forty days in a row, Jesus bestowed upon human nature the ability to endure great suffering and discomfort. In doing so, He makes it possible for you to share in His strength of endurance every time you face what appears to be an unbearable situation, especially when such a situation goes on and on, day after day. The gift of this supernatural endurance is the only remedy.

Ponder the real human experience of daily exposure to heat that Jesus endured. Ponder His human body suffering in this way to manifest, in His human nature, the supernatural gift of patient endurance. As you do, ponder also your own need for this gift. What is it that burdens you? What seems unbearable at times? Know that every grace you need to patiently endure every hardship was won by our Lord in the desert and is waiting to be bestowed upon you.

PRAYER

My Lord of perfect endurance, You bore the heat of the desert day in and day out. As You did, You made it possible for all who share in Your human nature to receive the strength You had in the face of this hardship. When it is Your divine will that I bear some heavy burden out of love for You and others, please grant me the supernatural gift of patient endurance so that I can more fully imitate You in the desert.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source: mycatholiclife