For this contemplation, we will be focusing on the refrain of the Wednesday Theotokia:
“The Father looked from heaven, and found no one like you, He sent His only begotten, who came and took flesh from you.”
In this poetic refrain, we acknowledge that God found no one comparable to St. Mary. This prompts a compelling inquiry: What distinguished St. Mary and led God to choose her? Among the countless women spanning generations past and future, she was selected to bear the divine role of the Mother of God.
In the Song of Praise, also known as the Magnificat, found in Luke’s 1st chapter, St. Mary extols God, declaring, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant’ (Luke 1:46-48). Through this hymn of adoration, it becomes evident that the defining quality setting St. Mary apart in God’s eyes is her profound humility.
A striking paradox unfolds when we contrast the pride of Eve with the humility of St. Mary. Eve, in her arrogance, presumed herself superior to God’s law, ushering in death. Conversely, St. Mary, with a humble heart, accepted God’s request and, in doing so, ushered in the promise of eternal life.
St. Augustine beautifully articulates this contrast, describing the true lowliness embodied by Mary as the heavenly ladder upon which God descended to Earth. It is profoundly fitting that Jesus Christ, the Savior Who humbled Himself and assumed human form, was conceived in the womb of a perfectly humble servant.
Defining humility, St. Anthony the Great imparts, ‘Humility is to deem all humankind better than you, being certain in your heart that you are more sinful than all.’ This mindset of sincere humility, according to St. Yacoub el-Serougi, transforms us into the dwelling place of divinity, where God chooses to abide. He writes, “Humility is the home of divinity; God will abide in it wherever it is!” St. Mary became the Mother of God not by chance, but because of her true and sincere humility.
As we contemplate the incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the virgin St. Mary, let us bear in mind that God’s choice of St. Mary was rooted in her humility. Let us earnestly strive to cultivate the same humble heart, so that God may find a dwelling place within us, just as Christ dwelt in the sacred womb of St. Mary.
Sources:
- Tasbeha.org
- Bible, English Standard Version
- Catena Bible
- SELECTED SAYINGS ON HUMILITY BY OUR CHURCH HOLY FATHERS, St. John the Beloved Coptic Orthodox Monastery.