Bible Text: “My mother and my brothers and sisters are those who hear the word of God and do it”. Luke 8. 19-21
Embarrassment is a situation that everyone of us would like to avoid at all cost. It diminished our self- esteem and it’s a sort of trampling down our personality. It makes us appear least in the society.
Our Blessed Mother and the brothers and sisters of Jesus were standing outside where the crowd surrounding Jesus who must have apparently waited for Him to perform miracle once again. They were there to save the face of Jesus from public shame because at that time His family has no clear idea that He can already perform miracles. They wanted to seize Jesus because they thought He was getting crazy. However, the course of the story has totally shifted, instead of saving Jesus from humiliation; His family was the one who got humiliated. When Jesus learned that His family was waiting outside, He boldly told the crowd. My mother, brothers and sisters were the ones following the will of my Father. It’s a clear insult especially on the part of Mary as Jesus’ mother because it seems Jesus is not proud at all to acknowledge before the prone taunting crowd that they indeed Jesus family.
By reflecting upon this humiliation of our Blessed Mother, Mary teaches us two great lessons about the virtue of humility. First, by patiently enduring humiliations in her entire life, she teaches us that humiliations are an important way to reach humility. Humiliations are the way to acquire humility. Second, our Blessed Mother reveals that humility is the most attractive virtue for God’s heart.
In imitation of our Blessed Mother, let us peacefully accept all humiliations that may come our way for humility is the fastest way to receive graces from God’s heart. Humiliation is the word of God and His will that we need to embrace.