In the Spirit of Feria V after the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
As we delve into the readings of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 24:23-31 and Luke 1:26-38, we encounter a profound meditation on wisdom, humility, and the ultimate submission to the divine will. These passages, read in the spirit of Feria V after the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, invite us to reflect on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the embodiment of Wisdom and as the model of humble obedience to God’s plan.
Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31: Mary as the Seat of Wisdom
In Ecclesiasticus 24, we are presented with a poetic personification of Wisdom, dwelling in the people of Israel and spreading forth like a majestic tree. Wisdom proclaims: “I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.” (Ecclus. 24:24). The Church has long seen this passage as a foreshadowing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, through her Immaculate Conception and perfect obedience, becomes the true Seat of Wisdom.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in his homilies on the Virgin, sees in Mary the one who not only contains divine wisdom but also brings it into the world in the person of her Son, Jesus Christ. He writes:
“She is the noble Mother of the Word, in whom the Father is always well-pleased. She is the Mother of Wisdom, who is Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
This highlights Mary’s role as the vessel through which divine wisdom enters the world to accomplish the salvation of mankind.
As we continue reading, Wisdom describes itself as a vine (Ecclus. 24:23), spreading its branches over all the earth. This image points directly to Mary, the Mystical Rose, through whom grace is poured out upon the world. St. Bonaventure speaks of this mystery:
“As the vine bears clusters of grapes, so Mary bore the fruit of salvation, the source of all graces.”
Mary’s “yes” to God allowed the Incarnation to take place, through which the fullness of divine wisdom is revealed.
The Annunciation: The Humility of Mary and the Mystery of the Incarnation
In Luke 1:26-38, we encounter the Annunciation, the moment when the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. This passage is rich with theological and spiritual meaning, and it has been a central focus of reflection for the Church Fathers.
The humility of Mary is central in this event. Gabriel greets her with the words, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke 1:28). St. Augustine teaches that this greeting signals not only Mary’s exceptional purity but also her profound humility:
“He chose a humble virgin, who had no confidence in herself, but only in God. By her humility, she deserved to conceive and bring forth Him who is the Life.”
Mary’s response, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38), is the epitome of surrender to the divine will. St. Ambrose, commenting on this, notes that Mary’s humility did not make her weak but rather allowed her to become the Mother of God:
“She became the Mother of God through obedience and faith, not through human effort, but by the divine will. Her soul was magnified, not for her own glory, but for the glory of God.”
The mystery of the Incarnation, revealed at the Annunciation, demonstrates the inseparable bond between wisdom and humility. The Word of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom (Col. 2:3), took flesh in the womb of the Virgin precisely because she was humble. As St. John Chrysostom says:
“It was necessary that the God of all wisdom should be born of a humble handmaid, so that the wisdom of the world might be confounded and the proud made low.”
This is the mystery that we contemplate after the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: the exaltation of the humble and the abasing of the proud.
Lessons for Our Spiritual Life
These readings offer us powerful lessons for our own spiritual journey, especially as we seek to grow in humility and wisdom. Mary’s example shows us that the path to true wisdom lies in submitting ourselves to God’s will, trusting in His providence, and acknowledging our need for His grace.
• Humility Prepares Us for Grace: Just as Mary’s humility prepared her to receive the greatest of all graces—the Incarnation—so too must we cultivate a spirit of humility in our daily lives. The Church Fathers emphasize that humility attracts God’s favor. St. Augustine teaches: “God gives where He finds empty vessels, not full ones.”
• Obedience to God’s Will: Mary’s Fiat—“be it done to me according to thy word”—is a model for our own response to God’s call. We are invited to surrender our own plans and desires, trusting that God’s wisdom infinitely surpasses our own.
• Contemplating Divine Wisdom: Like Mary, who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19), we are called to meditate on the mysteries of God. In doing so, we open ourselves to the guidance of divine wisdom, which leads us to deeper union with Christ.As we continue through this liturgical season, let us turn to the Blessed Virgin, the Seat of Wisdom, asking her intercession for the grace to grow in humility, wisdom, and obedience to the divine will. May we, like her, bear Christ into the world through our actions and words, living as humble servants of the Lord.
Conclusion: The juxtaposition of the Wisdom literature in Ecclesiasticus and the Gospel narrative of the Annunciation reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways. The wisdom of God, manifest in Christ, comes to us through the humble obedience of the Virgin Mary. Let us strive to imitate her humility, trusting that through this, we too may participate in the unfolding of God’s divine plan.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Augustine, and St. Bonaventure, pray for us!