Devotion: to be humble like Our Lady

THE HUMBLE SOUL, WITH IMMACULATE MARY

1. Most profound humility of Mary. The pride that is so rooted in the spoiled nature of man could not sprout in the Heart of Mary Immaculate. Mary raised above all creatures, Queen of Angels, Mother of God himself, understood her greatness, confessed that the Almighty had done great things in Her, but, all acknowledging it as a gift from God, and referring all glory to Him, nothing was said but the handmaid of the Lord, always willing to do his will: Fiat.

2. Our pride. At the foot of the Immaculate Conception, recognize your pride! How do you esteem yourself? What do you think of yourself? What glory, what vanity, what pride in speaking, in working! How much pride in the thoughts, judgments, contempt and criticism of others! What arrogance in dealing with superiors, what harshness with inferiors! Don't you think pride grows with advancing in age? ...

3. The humble soul, with Mary. The Virgin was very large, and thought herself so small! We, worms of the earth, we, so weak in doing good and so quick to commit sins: will we, loaded with so many faults, not humble ourselves? 1 ° Let us be on guard against the assaults of vanity, self-love, against the desire to appear, to have the praise of others, to excel. 2 ° We love to live humble, hidden, unknown. 3 ° We love humiliations, mortifications, wherever they come from. Today is the beginning of a humble life with Mary,

PRACTICE. - Recite nine Hail Marys for humility.