Quite a Lady…!
We celebrated the feast of St. Bernard on August 20. He had a special love for the Mother of God. I found myself reflecting a bit on one of his writings about her, and so I add my own musings…
One of his insights was that she was holy on two counts: first, her virginal love kept her so focused on the Mystery that had caught her attention that all her energy was “taken.” This virginal love is a mystery to folks of our age. We think of virgins as lacking something. It is news to us that they are full of something that they love. Bernard thinks this virginal focusing kept her clear, and he explains her purity as this clearness of focus.
I tend to agree. In today’s language we might say Mary was psycho-somaticly focused in her love. The fact that her erotic energy was so focused does not make her odd. It makes her enviable! Would that we could love our spouses, our friends, and God with such chaste focused love!
Bernard says she was holy for another reason. She was utterly humble. This means she always had a sense of proportion. She knew the truth about herself in relation to God. Everything she was, everything she had, she knew was given to her by this Mystery. None of it originated in her. Would that we could get this straight! Perhaps we could relax a little and not get so bent out of shape when things don’t go our way…
I agree with Bernard…these two qualities, her virginal love and her humbleness made her irresistible to God. He could not resist her welcome. She was totally hospitable to God, and so God was comfortable in making a home in her.
Like mother like son…or daughter. Would that the Church would make such a focused, humble dwelling for the Word…would that we could too…so that the Word could not resist coming to the world through us…through the Church…to heal its brokenness.
Today is the feast of Mary, Queen…she is indeed…quite a Lady!