As a child , my first encounters with faith have been at home. My parents are ardent roman catholic followers with an unwavering faith in the Blessed Virgin Mary… the family rosary was a routine before dinner at 8pm everyday and was followed by the litany of the blessed Mother Mary that my father would recite, kneeling ( and still does till this date) in Latin.
The rosary ended with a reading of the Bible and a hymn of praise and last but always the most important was the blessing that my parents would give to both children who stood with folded hands , as they would sign the cross over our hands and hold them and raise them upwards to the sky and say
” devache bensanv poddum, vhodlo zav” ( may god bless you, may you have grow big/ great”)
I knew I would be great! My mother and father gave me blessings every day!!! Heck, my grandmother and every priest and elder I encountered wished for me to be great…. that fueled an ambition that I already had as a little girl (still have) to strive for greatness .. however that was more of indian parenting then my actual purpose.
While I aced every exam at school and walked away with a medal at any event I participated in, I was convinced I was great.. my brother on the other hand just attributed it to my luck!! Soon luck ran up short and so did my greatness when I had to work harder to get what I wanted in life … made me realise that the greatness my parents wished upon me was not just a good degree, sturdy job and husband but a life of happiness and Christ, a life where being great meant to be humble and simple, positive and radiant with love for others, generous and welcoming to everyone we meet and greet….
Todays reading reads confirm the same ,
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
So let no one boast about human beings
Jesus picked the fishermen … not a rich man or an educated scholar ! He chose them for greatness.. in His kingdom. The greatness we seek on regular basis has no end , the greed is a bottomless pit leading to hell and sorrow… We need the Lord.. We need to gain his wisdom not the fame off the earth!
As we unlock through the pandemic , let us unlock the virtue of humility and love for the Lord and focus our attention on being better humans not great!!
PRAYER:
I am here Lord, standing before you, meek and humbled cause you are all knowing and powerful, the Living God!! Help me to follow you like the apostles and never fret about worldly fame and honor. help me be better everyday and journey through this life to be closer to you!
Be with us O Mary along the way, guide every step we take
AMEN
