The Power in Surrender

A few years ago I traveled to the south Texas coast to a city called Galveston. Beaches are a thing for the imagination living here in Arizona, and I particularly never really relished on the idea of visiting the beaches in our neighbor state of California. However, the beaches in Galveston were different and I found myself enjoying the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As I stood in the water I couldn’t help but ponder on the great strength of the waves in the distance. The waves were so powerful and majestic, but on this particular day, they would hit you in a gentle and serene way. As I walked back towards the camping chairs that were set up, I noticed a few crabs crawling the opposite of me towards the ocean. As interesting as they are delicious, they were minuscule in comparison to those giant waves they were headed towards. However, that’s their home and that’s where they will not just survive, but flourish.

Merriam-Webster defines surrender as, “the action of yielding one's person or giving up the possession of something especially into the power of another.” When we think of power or the act of being powerful, the word surrender  won't really cross our mind. However there's a great dichotomy between surrender and power. There can be great power in surrender. When I reflect on that word, I can’t help but think of the greatest surrender in the history of man: Mary’s surrender to God. Mary’s surrender not only saved herself, but it saved mankind.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen describes Mary in his book, The World’s First Love, 

“Lowliness and exaltation are one in her: lowliness because, judging herself to be unworthy of being the Mother of Our Lord, she took the vow of virginity; exalted because of God, looking upon what Mary believed was her nothingness, once more created a world out of nothing"

A World Out of Nothing

In hindsight, it's difficult for us to realize how Mary, the Mother of Jesus, could think of her self as nothing. But this is where we fail to remember that Mary herself was fully human like you and I. The Annunciation accounts the angel Gabriels first encounter with Mary: "Hail favored one, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28). It should be taken note of that her human nature brought about doubts and insecurities just like anyone else. In Luke's Gospel that was evident as it states how Our Blessed Mother responded: "But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be." (Luke 1: 29). If we can put ourselves in the shoes of our Blessed Mother for one moment, we are able to relate to her in a deeper level. Often there are times in our lives where we feel overwhelmed, insecure and just burdened with the world. The question that follows this should be, "How can I properly respond to this?" What separates Mary with those people who choose to live in doubt is her willingness to trust the Lord. Even under the overwhelming weight of her troubles, insecurities and feelings of worthlessness, she chooses to stand up straight and face her challenges head on and with a steadfast heart.

Your Magnificat

In Latin, magnificat means "to magnify" and this is usually why the magnificat is referred to as Mary's response to God: "My soul magnifies the Lord." (Luke 1:46). Before we are able to willingly and fully surrender to our Lord, we must ask ourselves what our magnificat is and from there we are able to follow the path God has in store for us - how can our soul magnify the Lord? In arguably one his most prominent books, Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes the virtue of magnanimity as, "the quality of the person who knows himself or herself to be worthy of great honors." Amidst her doubt and confusion, Mary upholds the virtue of magnanimity and considers herself, in Christ's love for her, to be worthy of such an immeasurable honor. Aristotle continues,

"The person who overestimates self-worth is conceited, and the person who underestimates self-worth is pusillanimous. Neither vanity nor pusillanimity are so much bad as mistaken, though pusillanimity is generally worse. The magnanimous person is great and knows it. This person therefore accepts honors knowing they are deserved, but does not take excessive pleasure in these honors. Being aware of his or her greatness and status, the magnanimous person is uncomfortable when put in a position inferior to anyone and always seeks his or her rightful superior place."

It's important for us to remember, as son's and daughter's of Christ, that the Lord will never give us anything that we are not able to handle. Through His love we must never be pusillanimous and lack courage and determination. I'd like to reflect back to my time on that beach in Galveston, Texas. Though minuscule in size, those crabs willingly treaded back into the mighty waves of the ocean because there they would not just survive, but thrive. The waves may seem overwhelming and boundless, but so is the love that our Lord has for us. Though considering herself as nothing, Our Blessed Mother was made to be the vessel that saved mankind. In our lives we can also uphold the virtue of magnanimity, and through our magnificat, create a world out of nothing.

I want to end off with some words from Saint John Paul II,

"From Mary we learn to surrender to God's will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ, her Son and the Son of God."

Ad Jesum Per Mariam