God Lifts Up The Lowly

It is a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible. When God is preparing to do a great work in the world, He chooses the weak rather than the strong. When He wants to reveal Himself, He chooses to speak through the uneducated rather than through the intelligent. He prefers to work through the humble rather than the proud.

We see this in the story of Abraham. When God wanted to raise up a great nation, He did not choose a young virile man or a robust, healthy woman. Rather He chose Abraham, an elderly man already well past His prime. And He chose Sarah, a woman who had never been able to have children and was well past childbearing age. Through these two, the most unlikely of parents, God raised up the people of Israel.

We also see this at work in the story of the anointing of David as king of Israel. God sent the prophet, Samuel, to the house of Jesse to choose one of his sons to be king. Samuel assumed that it would be one of the older sons. However, God had a different plan. He chose Jesse’s youngest son, David, to be king over Israel. Through this most unlikely of kings, God gave the people of Israel victory over their enemies and made them dwell securely in the land He had given them.

God’s greatest miracle, the birth of Jesus Christ, came also through the most unlikely of women. Mary was a young virgin when the angel Gabriel appeared to her to ask her to be the mother of the Messiah. God chose a virgin to make it clear that the child to be born would be “called the Son of the Most High.” There was to be no question who this child was - the Son of God made man. God used Mary, the most unlikely of women, to bring Jesus into the world to save us.

We also see throughout the Bible that God does not simply choose one mission for a person to complete. Rather, working for God is  a lifetime commitment. We see this clearly in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her mission was not through when she gave birth to Jesus. It did not end even when He became an adult. Rather, she accompanied Jesus throughout His ministry all the way up to the cross. After His resurrection, she was present when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles on Pentecost. Now, in heaven, she continues to serve as Mother of the Church, bringing our prayers and needs to Jesus.

Finally, God shares His glory with those who say “yes” to His call. God gave Abraham glory in being called the father of a great nation. God also gave David glory as the king of Israel. Mary is no different. However, the glory that God had planned for her was not to be evident in her lifetime. She continued to live as the humble handmaid of the Lord. Her glory, instead, was to be revealed in heaven, at the right hand of her Son, where she was taken, body and soul, to reign forever as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

On this great Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate the great gift Mary received to be taken body and soul into heaven. Just as she stood faithfully at the foot of the cross, suffering alongside her Son, so she now stands in Heaven participating in  the glory of His resurrection.

This great feast is not only an opportunity for us to commemorate our Blessed Mother in Heaven. It is also a reason for us to rejoice in hope because of God’s promise that, if we are baptized and believe in Jesus,  we will also be raised from the dead. God wants to share His glory with us who have said “yes” to the mission He has entrusted to us. No matter how humble it may seem, if we do it faithfully, we can look forward to being raised body and soul to the glory of heaven. Unlike Mary, we will have to wait for the end of time. Nonetheless, we can stand firm in the hope that an everlasting glory awaits us in heaven.

God chooses the weak, the powerless and the humble to carry out His work to make it clear that it is not by human effort that salvation comes to the world but by God’s power. We see this clearly in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We look to her now because she gives us hope that we, like her, will one day be in Heaven. And we entrust ourselves to her motherly intercession to preserve us as we struggle in this life with our eyes fixed on the glory that awaits us with Mary in the presence of her Son, Jesus Christ.