December 21/Third Thursday of Advent
Elizabeth . . . said, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
~ Luke 1.42
If there are any fashionable virtues these days — and sometimes it seems that the very concept of virtue is obsolete — we can be sure that humility is not among them. Nearly every aspect of our culture screams at us constantly to promote ourselves, to showcase our accomplishments, to market ourselves in the most flattering ways possible. In a social and political environment that crackles with boastfulness and one-upmanship, Instagram, FaceBook, and other forms of social media further stoke the fires of self-aggrandizement. To a world that valorizes the bright lights and the big city, quietly going about one’s business, acting with humility, and staying out of the limelight appear to be liabilities, stances taken by “losers” and under-achievers. But in point of fact, if we focus on our own importance and our many “virtues,” we risk completely missing the encounter with God. As British mystic Evelyn Underhill once wrote, “We make the first and greatest of our mistakes in religion when we begin with ourselves, our petty feelings and needs, ideas and capacities.” Elizabeth shows us how humility prepares the way to God. The aging wife of a late-career temple priest, whom God has miraculously made the mother of the one who would become John the Baptist, she spends no time congratulating herself on her elevated status and her privileged role. Rather, she displays joyful and genuine self-effacement at Mary’s visit, overwhelmed that her young cousin, bearing the Christ child in her womb, has come to see her in the hill country. As the last days of Advent tick away, we would do well to let go of our puffed-up self-regard and open ourselves in humility and joy to the coming of our Lord.
Mighty and magnificent God, Make me humble in your presence and joyful in your love. Amen.
To hear Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss perform the wonderful Shaker hymn “‘Tis the Gift to be Simple,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baNueuDCue0
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122123.cfm
