The Blessed Mother is a sublime model of Mercy and the Scriptural passage of the Visitation of Our Lady exudes this characteristic in a joyful way. As Visitandines we can begin this Year of Mercy by living more deeply the very Scriptural passage our Order is based upon.(Luke 1: 39-56)
In his book, the Mystery of Mary by Fr. Marie Dominique Philippe OP, many insights are revealed about Mary and Mercy. As we explore them here, perhaps they will serve to enhance our merciful response to others during this Year of Mercy.
How is the attribute of mercy evidenced in the Visitation, through Mary?
Fr. Philippe wrote “With this mystery of the Visitation, we see how Mary’s silent, recollected and contemplative life and her condition as a servant totally consecrated to God do not in any way conflict with the generosity and impetuosity of her fraternal and merciful love.”
And thus it can be with us. We are also called as contemplatives, to be silent, to be recollected, and totally consecrated to God. We know by experience with our schools, retreat programs and our presence among the poor that our contemplative stance does not have to conflict with our merciful outreach, either.
He continues “Charity burns Mary’s heart and asks her to change all her bonds with the human community into bonds of mercy. God uses this act of temporal mercy (going to Elizabeth) to bring about an act of Divine Mercy, the precursor John the Baptist’s sanctification and through him, his mother’s.”
That reflection above could be meditated upon for hours. To truly be merciful, charity, love, must fill our hearts. In our Blessed Mother’s heart, that charity burned. The Heart of Christ will fill us with the charity we need to be merciful. What is so powerful is the absolute inclusiveness of the statement about mercy. That charity asks Mary to change ALL her bonds with others INTO bonds of mercy. That means every encounter, every interaction with one another, with each Sister in community, each employee, each discerner,. Keeping in the Presence of God as our St Francis reminded us, also means keeping our hearts in the presence of an eternal mercy. Mercy is the platform on which we are to build our relationships. It is the Holy Ground of each soul.
The consequence of this bond of mercy or act of mercy in each of our encounters brings Divine benefits, for the other and for ourselves. In the Visitation, Fr Philippe notes,” God uses this act of temporal mercy (going to Elizabeth) to bring about an act of Divine Mercy, the precursor John the Baptist’s sanctification and through him, his mother’s.”
Who would ever want to deny anyone an act of Divine Mercy? The power infused in our humble acts of imperfect mercy so delights God that His response is to enter into that same human act with the bountiful mercy of His own heart. It brings about union with God in each act, each encounter. We are partnered with the Lord in very specific ways.
We know all our acts have consequences and we usually think of them in earthly terms, but here we are reminded that there is a divine consequence and one filled with mercy.
Fr Philippe continues, “No one forces Mary. The Holy Spirit wants this gesture of mercy to be made in a totally divine manner. Isn’t God’s mercy completely gratuitous? Forced mercy is no longer mercy. The Father wants Mary to be merciful as He is merciful.”
We rely on grace to be as free as our Blessed Mother was in this regard. We too need the blessing of spontaneity. As Scripture says “Be holy, for I am holy”. Be merciful, for He is merciful. Beyond being intentional in our actions, let us be free in them with the freedom that our Blessed Mother experienced when the Holy Spirit filled her. So yes, we must call upon the Holy Spirit to fill us and work through us, keeping our self-wills out of the way.
How do we grow in mercy? What can we bring to it from our hearts and will?
Fr Philippe mentions “Mercy must be divinely spontaneous and exercised generously and quickly (the poor do not have time to wait).”
. And do we fail sometimes? Certainly. How much we all need the mercy of God!
Fr Philippe comments “It (mercy)must be persevering (Mary remained 3 months with Elizabeth.) It’s not enough to do a random act of kindness. The acts must become so habitual that they are part and parcel of our very beings. This is especially difficult in conflict situations.
Fr Philippe says “Mercy is exercised with fidelity, with humility, gentle and discreet- otherwise one hurts the poor by making them too acutely aware of their destitution. The poor are fragile and vulnerable; they need to be treated with extreme gentleness.”
Gentleness and humility- the cornerstone virtues of the Visitation Order’s charism- we need look no further- but we do need to practice them. The poor are not the only fragile and vulnerable persons around; we all are. We need only continue to live out our charism as we encounter one another- and apologize when we don’t.
Fr. Philippe sums up the mystery of the Visitation, a mystery we live out every day by our very vocation: “It is an action of temporal mercy, an action of eternal mercy, sanctification, a new revelation proclaiming the divine greatness of the one who is handmaid of her savior, of her family, of her people.”
This visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, bringing the unborn Jesus to her as she hopes to help her cousin in very practical ways, becomes a unified attribute of mercy in its temporal and eternal aspects, allowing holiness to emerge within the encounter of these persons, spotlighting this servant of the Lord and us as well in our growing divinization.
“The Mystery of the Visitation shows us how Christian mercy is the first fruit of Christian contemplation. The latter must blossom into works of temporal and spiritual mercy.”
We know that Mary burst into her Magnificat after Elizabeth’s inspired words touched her heart…“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord* should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed* that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name .His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
“The Magnificat shows us how liturgical prayer springs from mercy. It is the praise of the Christian community, formed by mercy itself. The Christian community is directly founded on mercy. No wonder that the praise specific to the Christian community primarily proclaims God’s mercy, since it is rooted in mercy. The Magnificat is first and foremost the song of God’s servant who is the recipient of His blessings, of His mercy.”
The Blessed Mother needed and accepted God’s Mercy. We can follow her example and do the same.
From: Mystery of Mary by Marie Dominique Philippe OP
Chapter 3, pages 93, 94 95 96, 97 101 107 108