The Divine Lamp

Mary is the great believer who humbly offered herself to God as an empty vessel for him to use in his mysterious plan. She did not try to live by human calculations but put herself completely at the disposal of God’s mysterious,incomprehensible design. All she wanted to be was the instrument and servant of the Word. Therein lies her true fame: that she remained a true believer despite the darkness and all the inexplicable demands God made on her. She believed even in the face of incomprehensible facts…Today God is still mysterious; indeed he seems to have a special kind of obscurity in store for each person’s life. But could he render any life as dark and incomprehensible as he did Mary’s? This is the real reason for her greatness and her being called blessed: She is the great believer. Consequently she is represented to us not as a distant haloed figure but forever as the young girl who entered Elizabeth’s home with the shining light of mystery on her brow and surrounded by the radiance of purity and hope. But, like Elizabeth, Mary cannot remain silent at this moment. It is said that, even today, under the influence of a great joy Arabian women will improvise a song in which they pour forth the hidden poetry a simple heart composes when moved by a powerful joy. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in my savior.” Mary deflects Elizabeth’s praises from herself to God the Lord. It is he who deserves all the praise. In so acting, Mary has shown the way of all future praise of herself; it is to be praise of God as he is mirrored in his graciousness to human beings. -Pope Benedict XVI, BENEDICTUS, DAY BY DAY WITH POPE BENEDICT XVI. Originally published in DOGMA AND PREACHING. Both excellent books!