The Fidelity of Mary

When God the Father gave His only Begotten Son through the power of the Holy Spirit to the Blessed Virgin, God became vulnerable before the Immaculate Mary. God became completely vulnerable, as vulnerable as a new born baby, because He gave Himself completely. All the riches and treasures of the Divinity lay open to Mary. Recall her words “the Almighty has done great things for me.”

In His Almighty power God could have saved us without becoming one of us, but He wanted something even more: to elevate human nature and clothe it with His own Divine nature. In order to accomplish this God would need to commune with human nature on its level, with human language, and so 'translate' His own Nature into human words and gestures, human signs and actions. And in order to do this, God would need to enter into relationship with a human being who has the capacity to receive God's gift of Himself and to reciprocate God's love, otherwise God's gift might possibly be wasted.

This God found in the faithful Mary from Nazareth. Remember that the Angel declared to Mary that she is "full of grace" and that "the Lord is with you". But God found also Joseph to be His human father, who is called in the scriptures the "just man". In calling Mary and Joseph to an intimate and reciprocal love with Himself, God was calling the whole human race to enter into His friendship. This accomplished communion became the foundation and pattern for the entire human race.

God entrusted Himself, not only in His humanity, but also in His Divinity to Mary and Joseph. Mary is mother of the Son of man and also mother of the Son of God. All the treasures of the Divinity were open to Mary and Joseph, and they in their turn reciprocated the love of God. Even more: God Himself was entrusted to them and communicated Himself to their souls in His fulness. That is why Mary declared, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." To "proclaim" the greatness of the Lord in one's soul means to "show forth" the greatness of the Lord. In these humble words is hidden the entire mystery of God Himself. A human soul can "show forth the greatness of the Lord" only if God Himself has been communicated to that soul and completely transformed it.

God freely entrusted to Mary and Joseph that which Adam and Eve tried to take by force. This is the nature of original sin--that Adam and Eve tried to steal the Godhead, as Saint Augustine attests in his commentary on the Psalms. It was the supreme act of pride.

Father Andrew Doze has illustrated well (see his book, “Discovering Saint Joseph”) that Saint Joseph is the shadow (reflection or image) of God the Father. It was in the shadow of the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that God the Son was confided with complete trust and openness to Mary (see Saint Luke 1:35).

Mary received and guarded this Gift with perfect fidelity and love. She did not disappoint God’s openness and vulnerability. This is the meaning of Mary’s “yes” to God. This is the meaning of her “Let it be done unto me according to your word”. She reciprocated God’s love and fidelity. She never took God's fidelity for granted. What an awesome responsibility! She was perfectly faithful. She is forever faithful and true. Her humility is incomprehensible. Recall her words “the Lord has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid.” Therefore, God has made her blessed throughout all generations.

Out of this faithful and fertile love between God and Mary has come the fruit of their redeeming love for the whole world: Jesus Christ.

That is why St Elizabeth exclaimed, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” The womb is the most intimate part of the female body, just as merciful love is the most intimate part of the soul. St Elizabeth realised that just as Mary’s love had given birth to the Son of God so also Mary’s love had given birth to the redemption of the world. The womb is analogous to the life-giving love and mercy of the soul. Perhaps that is why women generally (although not exclusively) have a particular sensitivity to love and mercy, while men generally (although not exclusively) have the propensity to protect and to guide.

The point is that God made man and woman equal in dignity and complementary in their roles, as the late Pope John Paul II observed in his letter “On the Dignity and Vocation of Women”. See also Pope Benedict XVI’s (formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) “God and the World”, especially the section on 'marriage' for a brilliant analysis of the nature of marriage. Each of the two genders can learn from the other and support one another.

God chose to redeem humankind, not with great glory and power and might, but by abasing Himself, because God’s weakness is His strength—to speak in a human way. By contemplating God’s example we may be conformed to our true nature, for we are made in the image of God, male and female. Compare with St Paul: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” In any case, St Paul said that God’s weakness is greater than human strength and that God’s foolishness is greater than human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25).

Not only did Mary receive God’s Son with complete fidelity, she also nourished the Baby Jesus on her love. Together with St Joseph she protected Him, brought Him up, donated Her Son to the world in His public ministry, accompanied Him all the way to the foot of the Cross, received His lifeless Body from the Cross, and waited with confident expectation for His resurrection. She witnessed His ascension into Heaven. Afterwards Mary prayed with the Apostles for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and watched over the infant Church for several years before she was gloriously assumed into Heaven and made Queen of Heaven. And she continues to intervene in our lives from Heaven to prevent us from ruining ourselves.

St Louis De Montfort said that the Holy Trinity delights to dwell in Mary more than in Heaven itself. She is the paradise of the Holy Trinity, the joy of the Angels, and the refuge of sinners (see St Louis’ book, “True Devotion To Mary”, especially the “Preliminary Remarks”).

Pere Jean Edouard Lamy, a French priest of the early 20^th century, had regular visitations from the holy Mother. She is known there as our Lady of the Woodlands. There is a chapel dedicated to her in the “Woodlands” and it is close to Macon in Lyon, I remember. Some Australian friends took me to visit there in 1987 when I was staying with them in France.

Pere Lamy conversed regularly with our Lady. She revealed many intimate details about herself to him. Among other things, he said that the Holy Trinity loves to hear Mary’s prayers just to win the sight of her smile. He also said the angels love to be around Mary. They are delighted to receive an order from her, to be given any task by her. And they call her “Queen”, while she regards them with the compassion of a mother.

He wrote many other things about the personality of the Blessed Virgin. But I remember clearly one thing: if God in His justice, he said, were to destroy the world into thousands of pieces, Mary would collect all the pieces and present herself to God, praying Him to put the world back together again.

Leba Sleiman

8th March 2008

The Nature Of Truth

What is truth? This question has probably aroused more controversy, more passion, more intrigue and more debate than any other single question in history.

The human quest for truth reveals so many surprising paradoxes: truth can be known but not always understood, intuited but not monopolised, discovered but not always articulated; truth measures our judgments but has never been measured itself; truth is found both in the heart and above it; truth is the most simple and yet the most sublime of all things.

Even the skeptic who rejects truth in theory cannot help but embrace some truth in practice.

The nature of truth is so wide ranging in its application, so thoroughly deep in its penetration of reality, so inescapable a question in the field of all human endeavour, and of all types of human endeavour the most powerful to transform lives.

Where does one begin to approach such a huge question as to the nature of truth?

Read more: click on "Articulate Solutions" in the top right hand column.

Leba

St Francis Of Assisi

In the life of St Francis of Assisi, arguably the world’s best loved saint, there are so many interesting and rich facets which reveal the spirit of the man. For more than a hundred years now, since Paul Sabatier published his life of the saint in 1894, there has been renewed interest in and even intense debate about the nature of St Francis’ intention in founding the Franciscan Order. This has lead to a new wave of Franciscan literature, including several notable contributions. And the work is not yet finished.

For example, Raphael Brown, in his 1958 introduction to the famous and most charming ‘The Little Flowers of St Francis’, claimed that ‘It is a surprising and a regrettable fact that a complete critical biography of St Francis has not yet been given to the world by his Order, although nearly all available early texts have been printed. Such a work is greatly needed.” (Footnote 1) My personal favourite biography so far (alongside 'The Little Flowers') is Johannes Jorgensen's 'St Francis Of Assisi', a very thorough, deep and rich account of Francis' life.

What exactly did St Francis intend when he founded the movement now known as the Franciscan Order? This question is not so easy to answer as it may seem, and this is evidenced by the history of the Franciscans and by modern research. It is a difficult question especially if you consider the great conflict which erupted in Francis' later years between himself and certain of his friars who wanted to change his Rule of life (and its consequences throughout the centuries). Such conflict lasted for more than two years and caused Francis indescribable pain and anguish. This facet of St Francis' life cannot be omitted in any serious study of his life and mission.

However, before indulging in specialist studies which may possibly lead to an exaggerated emphasis on an isolated question of one sort or another, I believe it is more beneficial first to consider Francis’ life as a whole and in this way to come to appreciate his true depth and his real spirit. Who really was this man who moved the earth so profoundly and who continues to move the lives of people 800 years later?

We have to look beyond popular images of piety to discover the real St Francis. For here was a man who humbled himself lower than a worm of the earth and yet soared higher than an eagle in the realm of the spirit. One needs to see how the variety of events in Francis’ life refer to one another and shed light on one another. Perhaps then we might discover what was Francis’ true spirit which drove him to the summit of 'his calvary’ where he became known as the ‘second Christ’. St Francis of Assisi was not a religious simpleton. He was not educated in the wisdom of the world, but he was initiated into the Divine wisdom. He was not merely a pious lover of creatures. He was more than an ordinary saint.

Francis embraced the poorest of all poverty and he enriched the world with the richest of all graces. Francis cared for the needs of endangered animals and he cared for the needs of outcast lepers. Francis was visited by the birds of the air and he was visited by angels from Heaven. Francis suffered beatings from his own father and he also suffered beatings from demons. Francis healed the bodies of the sick and he healed the souls of the troubled.

Francis conversed with all creatures and he conversed with the Creator of all. Francis preached the Gospel to Catholics and he preached the Gospel to the Sultan of the Moslem empire. Francis tamed the fierce wolf of Gubbio and he reconciled villages that were at war with each other. Francis was often lifted off the ground in ecstasy while praying to God and he was lifted up spiritually to occupy the vacated throne of Lucifer in Heaven.

Francis physically rebuilt several churches in and around Assisi and he spiritually rebuilt the entire Church in obedience to his Lord. Francis was so gentle that he once bargained with a little boy in order to save the lives of two captured birds, and yet he could rise up with such a mighty spirit when the truth was challenged as once to call on Christ to respond audibly from Heaven in his defence. Francis identified himself with the poorest beggar and Francis was conformed to the crucified Christ. Francis was not only conformed to Christ in his life but also after his death as he was granted certain privileges after passing from this world (see, for example, what Christ revealed to Francis in an intimate visitation during his lifetime in 'The Considerations on the Holy Stigmata', part 5).

The sword of sorrow pierced Francis’ soul when some friars fought against his ideal of poverty and simplicity, and the sacred wounds of Christ pierced Francis’ body when he loved the world in return. Francis bore the wounds of Christ’s Passion in his own body, and Francis was filled with the charity of the crucified Lord in his soul.

Francis sang the praises of God when he first discoverd the joy of the Lord and he died singing the praises of God for the joy of having won Heaven. His influence in the world has not diminished throughout these centuries but rather continues to increase with the passing of time. Evidently, the victory he won while in this world is a victory that reached up into eternity, and there from eternity he still shines in our time and in this impoverished world of ours.

As if this were not enough, there is a possibility that St Francis will do even more in the future of the world. Some ancient Franciscan prophecies hint at a 'second coming' of Francis. Also, St Bonaventure, after a mystical experience on Mount La Verna, came to identify St Francis with the angel in the Book of Revelation who ascends 'from the rising of the sun' and carries 'the seal of the living God' and has power to seal the 'servants of God in their foreheads' (Revelation 7:2). The idea is that just as Francis was sealed with the wounds of Christ he will be given to seal the servants of God with the Holy Spirit. See also Joseph Ratzinger's review of Bonaventure's work, 'The Theology of History in St Bonaventure'.

Will St Francis accomplish even greater works in the future?

We might just have to wait and see!

Leba

The Power Of Emotion

Running as deep as the soul, emotions form the colours of experience and touch every facet of our lives.

But emotions are neither reliable as a sole guide in life nor are they dispensable, neither stable in our experience of them nor are they unwanted.

What is the specific role of the emotions? How exactly do they fit into the overall structure of existence? Why do we have them? And are emotions related to the pursuit of happiness?

Emotions are dynamic and easily influence the other powers such as memory, reason and perception. But emotions also play an interactive role with other emotions: fear can displace trust and trust can displace fear; hope may lift sadness and despondency; love might reinforce joy and hope.

But it is not clear nowadays whether to honour the emotions and give them pride of place or whether to subjugate the emotions and keep them under control (neither option is satisfactory!). Perhaps emotions have lost their rightful and proper place in the life of the soul, just as humans have often suffered some degree of cultural displacement in our modern day societies.

It therefore seems that an enquiry into the nature and role of the emotions in the overall scheme of life is both opportune and urgent. This is not intended to be an abstract or difficult work but rather a practical, down-to-earth analysis of the life of the emotions in the context of being human.

Read more: click on "Articulate Solutions" in the right hand column.

Leba Sleiman

To Catch A Heart

“He broke my heart”, said Jane, as a tear slowly escaped down her cheek.

"What happened, Jane?" her mother replied, gazing lovingly at young Jane's face.

“I loved him, I really loved him, mother. And I was willing to love him forever, but he didn’t want that.” Her face was filled with the deepest sadness, her heart ready to sob, but she moved slowly, cautiously. Her mother listened calmly while she held Jane’s soft, young hands in her own.

“My dear child,” she spoke at length, “with how many words can I console you? You are only eighteen, and there will be yet many opportunities to love again. In time you will also come to see that the pain of a broken heart is beautiful.”

“What on earth do you mean, mother?” Jane’s eyes were imploring and pained and even more ready to burst forth with tears.

“I know that this is difficult for you to hear now, but someone once said that a beautiful heart is meant to be broken, like a precious vase that contains rare ointments and perfumes, so that the ointments and perfumes hidden in that heart can be poured out to enrich the world, and then to be healed again after being broken.”

Jane still felt deeply pained, yet this curious remark brought a strange sense of relief to her heavy heart.

“How can you be so sure, mother? I always believed that pain was a bad thing and that people try to run away from pain. Anyway, pain doesn’t feel very good, in my opinion. You know, I gave Thomas all my love. I was ready to be loyal to him. I placed all my hope and all my dreams in him. And now he has found someone else to love. All I feel is sorrow and pain, mother, and I don’t know how to carry this burden any longer.”

Mrs Thompson had already identified with her daughter’s pain from the beginning and, as she now gazed lovingly on Jane’s tortured face, she searched for a way to lighten her burden.

“Come to me, my child, let your heart rest in mine. Rest your head in my arms and let your pain be drowned in my love, for I will never abandon you.”

Immediately Jane buried her face in her mother’s bosom. She presently allowed the full force of her grief to flow forth and, as broken hearts tend to do, she cried out loud like a baby.

To be continued…

Read more: click on "More articles by the same author" in the right hand column.

Leba

Flamenco In Florence

On the 11th September I caught the train to Florence from Assisi and found a decent little place to stay on via Faenze.

Florence is spectacular: the flower of Italy, I think. It is as though people are still in the 1960s: girls ride bikes and have long, flowing hair; guys smoke the old style cigarettes; people are interested in the arts, languages and humanities; musicians play in the squares. There is even one corner in Piazza della Repubblica that seems reserved for young female opera singers to perform in. And it sounds just splendid.

Against this is a backdrop of beautiful architecture and ancient stones and statues which still seem to breathe the spirit of the Renaissance in which human creativity reached a rare peak in history.

Some historians have observed that the Renaissance was triggered by the rediscovery of Plato’s works in Europe. This is not at all unthinkable as Plato’s discussions of the nature of the beautiful, the true and the good are very inspiring and really different from Aristotle’s academic and dry attempts to systematise some of Plato’s passing observations.

The Italian Renaissance boasts names such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Giotto. The Renaissance paved the way for and inspired the birth of modern science as we know it, with names such as Kepler, Copernicus, Pascal, Galileo, Newton and Leibniz, which in its turn paved the way for the modern technological revolution and further scientific advances with the advent of Einstein, Planck, Bohr and so on.

Florence still breathes the spirit in which it all began, as I say, but Florence remains untainted by the sterility and the constrictions which modern technology and industry have imposed on our lives. So Florence occupies a kind of midpoint in the history of human development, I felt. It inherits something of the wisdom of the ancient Greek master of philosophy, it retains a significant number of the treasures and artefacts of the flowering of human creativity witnessed in the Renaissance, and to some extent it still resists the style and the influences of modern Western society.

I saw, among others, one young lady who walked around with a permanent smile on her face one sunny, balmy afternoon—so enraptured she was with the spirit of Florence.

I felt as though I could stay in Florence for a good twelve months and just soak up its beauty while studying its history and language and spending time writing, but other places were beckoning me on, and soon I was to move on to visit Milan and several places in France and Monaco.

And what about the ‘Flamenco’? you might ask. One afternoon there was a guy playing Flamenco in the same piazza, and it sounded just great. He looked like an Englishman who had lived in Spain for many years and was now touring the continent! Well, that’s my guess, anyway, but you can never be sure in Europe. I'm sure there have been so many mixed marriages over the centuries as many Europeans look the same to me!

To see and hear him playing the guitar click on "Flamenco In Florence" in the right hand column.

Leba

Speak To Me With Words

"What can you say about words, my dear James?"
 

“In my opinion, words are to the soul as the fruit of a tree is to its roots,” said James.

“Can you really be so sure?” replied Peter. “I believe that words are more like a mirror of the soul.”

“I suppose that is true as well. But it says here in this book I’m reading that without words the life of the soul would never blossom.”

“Mmm….an interesting thought. So what else does it say in this book of yours?”

“Well, here is one passage that elaborates on the idea. It reads, ‘Words are the substance of our conversations, the channel for our education and classroom lessons, the stuff that poets and politicians depend on, and the six o’clock news as well, the way that friends reveal their hearts to each other, the foundation of the great books of history, and without the use of words human life could not be.’”

“You know, I had never thought of it like that,” and Peter seemed carried away in meditation. “But what about the words that injure others and cause damage or deceive you or start a conflict? What about those words?”

“Yes, I suppose they are in a different category of words, dear Peter.”

“I suppose they are. Nevertheless, if words be life for the soul, my good friend, then read on, and do not spare my ears. Let me be the object of an endless flow of good words, for how better could we pass the time?”

Leba Sleiman