"You Know Better Than I"

Happy feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother!!! Because today "was the beginning of our salvation," (Liturgical Prayer), as it was through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Christ was brought into the world, I would like to share with you something that I learned today as I sat by the fountain in the little plaza at my university. As I sat there, praying, I was asking Jesus about two things that have really been on my heart recently. One of them is the petition that I mentioned in the previous post, and the other is an unexpected twist to the petition about my going to Africa this summer. I was praying and asking Him to show me His Will when it came to both petitions, and how with the one it was really hard for me to submit to His Will even though I know I should. (I realized that whether I feel like it or not, I should still submit, and I also realized that my submitting will have to be more of a renewal than a one time commitment.) I also was asking Jesus about a particular virtue that I have been especially praying for recently: humility. But until today, I had never connected the two. That is, God's Will and humility. For as I prayed and asked Jesus to show me how I can live out humility, my attention was drawn to the fountain before me. Look at the water. What does it do? I thought. It goes where it is guided. It then hit me that all of creation goes where God wills it to go. And it's a good thing, for as it is said in the book, "Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence," can you imagine what the universe would be like if everything did just what it wanted? There would be utter chaos! However, all creation is stamped with the humility of its Creator. And as a creature, I have to go where God wills me to go. In humility I have to recognize and believe that my Creator knows better than I do, and that He has the good of my soul in mind wherever and whatever He sends me (or doesn't!). In other words, I have to submit to His Will because this is how I practice humility. I was then reminded of the Blessed Mother at the Annunciation. Her profound humility is at once revealed because she says, "Be it done unto me according to thy word," (Luke 1:38). She accepts and submits to God's Will no matter what and not just at the Annunciation, but in every instance of her life. And so, to practice humility, I have to follow her blessed example. But because of my pride, and wanting to do things my way, I cannot do this. However, God makes the impossible possible (something else which He says through Saint Gabriel at the Annunciation). God will give me the grace and the strength I need. I just have to accept it.
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.

P.S. As I left the plaza, I was also reminded of the song "You Know Better Than I" from the movie "Joseph, King of Dreams." This song has always been one of my favorites, but I realized in listening to it again after coming back to my dorm that sometimes God must bring us down from our pride to raise us up in humility!

P.P.S. Again, happy feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother! May you have a grace-filled day celebrating the "Cause of our joy"! God bless!