Entrustment to Mary = Road to Humility

I was recently listening to a homily about how Blessed Mother is the true help for the most lost souls. The priest was encouraging all of us to entrust our dear ones to Mary. Those who are far from the Church, who are so lost and as if unable to return as prodigal sons and daughters, who even despise God, these are the ones to entrust to Our Blessed Mother – “Virgin, most merciful”…“Refuge of sinners.”

As I was listening I started to think about my entrustment and it occurred to me – I was the lost one. I was the prodigal daughter. I was the one living as if God did not exist. I was the one entrusted to Mary.

This was a very profound moment of truth. It has been over 10 years since I was entrusted to my Blessed Mother, consecrated to Her entirely for the service to the Church. I was told at the time of my entrustment that it “was in advance”. I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant at the time, but I figured it meant I wasn’t completely aware of my misery yet. Definitely, that was and is the case. But that “in advance” prescription has been absolutely critical for my growth in faith and humility.  I believe that, without being given the gift of Blessed Mother’s arms to carry me I would not be on this road to humility at all.

There are many I know who believe they have a deep relationship with Christ. I talk to them about Mary, and I can see them turning their ears off as if I am one of those teachers from Charlie Brown “Waaaa, waaa, wa, waa, wa wa….”  It confuses me, but I have to respect God’s timing. After all, there was a time I thought I loved Christ with my whole heart too. I thought I was okay and only sinned a little bit. I remember being in a Bible study thinking I was the seed that fell on the rich soil, maybe yielding thirty-fold (cf Mt 13:8)? 

Why did I receive my entrustment to Mary before I was at the foot of the Cross? I think it was because I never would make it to the Cross without Her. If the priest had waited until that moment of truth – that moment of seeing all that I am and all the reasons Christ died on the Cross for me, it may have been too late for me to accept His mercy and His gift of MOM.  Maybe because the road to pride that I was on was so attractive and getting me so lost, the priest saw the only hope for me was to plop me into Mary’s arms. “Quick” he must have thought – “grab her MOM! Rescue her! She knows not what she is doing and how lost she is becoming – take her and never let her go.” 

All I can say is “THANK YOU!!!!” for my entrustment.

Blessed Mother does not put up a wall between me and my Savior – She is the bridge over the abyss of my pride that leads me to His Sacred Heart. 

I was wondering once why Our Lord so dearly loved this virtue of humility; and all of a sudden – without, I believe, my having previously thought of it – the following reason came into my mind: that it is because God is Sovereign Truth and to be humble is to walk in truth, for it is absolutely true to say that we have no good things in ourselves, but only misery and nothingness; and anyone who fails to understand this is walking in falsehood. He who best understands it is most pleasing to Sovereign Truth because he is walking in truth. (Teresa of Avila, “Sixth Mansion,” in Interior Castle, trans. and ed. E. Allison Peers [New York: Image Books / Doubleday, 1989], 196. From the Critical Edition of P. Silvero, de Santa Teresa, Las Moradas [“The Mansions”].)