Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“The glory of the Lord shall dwell in our land.” These words, from our responsorial psalm, is both a hope and a promise. Right now, in our land, there are so many feelings, emotions, ideologies and different voices vying for our attention it is hard to feel like the Lord dwells anywhere near our land. There are messages of hate. There is massive division among families, friends and neighbors. We have become a polarized society, constantly assessing and labeling others as “us” or “them” - on any number of issues. And it is exhausting.
But then we look at this psalm and we are reminded “the glory of the Lord SHALL dwell in OUR land.” This will happen, in our time and space. It can be done. And that gives me hope - hope for our communities, our nation and our world. But how can this be achieved? The glory of the Lord can dwell in our land when we listen to what Jesus commands us to do in Matthew’s gospel.
This gospel ends with the line, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” And this, practicing this humility, is how we will bring about the glory of the Lord, in our land. Humility is a virtue that calls us to squash our own sense of self-importance. Humility calls us to put justice and kindness ahead of being “right”. When practicing humility it is important to engage in respectful dialogues and practice respectful listening. We are called to LISTEN to the other, to listen to those we have marked as “them”. Humility involves listening, gratitude and the ability to ask for help - both from others around us and from God. This is hard to do and seems to be overlooked in our current political and social climate. This practice of humility is the start to bringing the glory of the Lord to our land.
In our first reading Ezekial speaks about seeing the glory of the Lord coming to the temple. A voice reveals to him that the Lord will reside among the children of Israel. Not among the doctors or the tax collectors or the rabbis, but among the children.
And this gives me hope. Our children - our hope for the future, may be the very thing that brings God’s glory to this Earth. But it will not happen like magic - they can be the catalyst for humility, truth, goodness and hope - but only if they see these things modeled. If we can not find the humility to engage in respectful dialogue or to listen to others respectfully, simply because it is the right thing to do, maybe we will be willing to do these things because we know the children are watching and learning. May we model true humility and gratitude for our children as they witness the coming of the glory of the Lord. Amen.
AJ Grimm