“Mary’s greatness consists in the fact that she wants to magnify God, not herself.” (Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love, n. 4)
Today is the Feast Day of the Blessed Mother’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Mary!! From Mary’s many virtues, one that most impresses me is her purity of intention, seen in a special way at the Wedding of Cana. She noticed a problem, went to Christ to get it done and then allowed the bride and bridegroom to take credit for this amazing miracle. She was not looking for esteem, recognition or a pat on the back…
During our Adirondack backpacking trip, one of the boys offered to carry a large backpack on the hike for the bag of snacks…little by little, everyone was asking to put their sweaters and water bottles in the pack, and before long he was carrying an overstuffed backpack with 7 water bottles attached to the outside clips. He never complained and was happy to serve. What an example coming from a 14 year old!
