Tuesday 22 December 2020 - Come, King of the Universe, cornerstone of the Church! Come and bring salvation to the man whom you have planted from the earth - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1, 46-56

After Mary and Elizabeth had spoken, Mary gave thanks to God and exclaimed: "My soul exalts the Lord, exults my spirit in God, my Saviour". This is the prayer of the humble one who does not boast but immediately turns to God. It is a model for us. How many of us remember God, like Mary, when we have received a blessing such as passing exams, getting a job or a means of subsistence, finding a spouse, succeeding in having offspring... whereas before, we used to beg, to pray fervently but in the end we forget the source of these blessings. May gratitude always be on our lips, as St. Paul said. It is good to always give thanks to God no matter what happens to us: the good as well as the bad, as the Blessed Virgin Mary shows us here. It is deplorable and unfortunate to hear only swearing in the words of some, even when reprimanding a child, we cannot help swearing when it is with the same lips that blaspheme that we receive God. Still others, even without swearing, take pleasure in making hurtful remarks. Let us beware of these bad habits and purify our words.

Mary continues her outpouring of gratitude: "He bent over his humble servant". God always watches over his children, including us, but often we do not realise it because we are blinded by a proud heart. Many of our loved ones, for example, have been affected by this epidemic, and despite the hardships we have lived through, thanks to God's benevolence, we are still here. It is not that we despise our parents who have perished, but it is a sign of the great care that God lavishes on us, that his mercy is great and that his love is immeasurable. We should therefore all echo with the Virgin Mary, saying: "My soul exalts the Lord, for He has looked down upon me". He sends the rich away empty-handed, that is what forces us to change, to be humble, because it is the humble who are elevated, even if it is sometimes difficult in the face of the context. May Mary, the humble mother and mother of the Humble, help us to remain humble so that we may have a heart ready to receive the Messiah. Amen.