Day 24 - Mary's smile

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Pope Emeritus (Benedict XVI) spoke at Lourdes of “Mary’s smile” :

…Today Mary dwells in the joy and the glory of the Resurrection. The tears shed at the foot of the Cross have been transformed into a smile which nothing can wipe away, even as her maternal compassion towards us remains unchanged. The intervention of the Virgin Mary in offering succour throughout history testifies to this, and does not cease to call forth, in the people of God, an unshakable confidence in her: the Memorare prayer expresses this sentiment very well. Mary loves each of her children, giving particular attention to those who, like her Son at the hour of his Passion, are prey to suffering; she loves them quite simply because they are her children, according to the will of Christ on the Cross.

The psalmist, seeing from afar this maternal bond which unites the Mother of Christ with the people of faith, prophesies regarding the Virgin Mary that “the richest of the people … will seek your smile” (Ps 44:13). In this way, prompted by the inspired word of Scripture, Christians have always sought the smile of Our Lady, this smile which medieval artists were able to represent with such marvellous skill and to show to advantage.

This smile of Mary is for all; but it is directed quite particularly to those who suffer, so that they can find comfort and solace therein. To seek Mary’s smile is not an act of devotional or outmoded sentimentality, but rather the proper expression of the living and profoundly human relationship which binds us to her whom Christ gave us as our Mother…

During this week of seeking understanding of Mary, it is good for us to seek her smile, for it is God’s Love passing through her to us. If we are to know Christ, it is important for us to see in Mary the wonder of the Word made Flesh in her by the power of the Holy Spirit. By God’s grace, let us continue gazing on her and see by faith her gaze and her smile upon us. God willing, I’ll post more from this beautiful meditation on Mary’s smile, tomorrow but the entire homily is HERE.

Litany of the Holy Spirit - HERE
AveMaris Stella - HERE
The Rosary - praying as in all prayers, with attention and devotion

 

[Jennifer132]

Thank you for sharing. Is the Bible reference to Ps 44:13 perhaps incorrect? I couldn’t find such a verse when I looked it up? Thanks for the help!

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you for sharing. Is the Bible reference to Ps 44:13 perhaps incorrect? I couldn’t find such a verse when I looked it up? Thanks for the help!

Dear Jennifer,

Thanks for your reply – and good question. I went back to the homily and it was Ps 44:13, so I went to check the verses in Ps 44 and Ps 45. Some translations can have different numbering of verses. In Psalm 45:13 we read:

…honor him, daughter of Tyre.
Then the richest of the people
will seek your favor with gifts.

I think that verse is closer to whichever translation Pope Emeritus was quoting. The words “your favor” in the translation may be from a word that also means “your smile”. Further on in the homily, Pope Benedict explains:

…Yes, to seek the smile of the Virgin Mary is not a pious infantilism, it is the aspiration, as Psalm 44 says, of those who are “the richest of the people” (verse 13). “The richest”, that is to say, in the order of faith, those who have attained the highest degree of spiritual maturity and know precisely how to acknowledge their weakness and their poverty before God.

Hope you have time to read the entire homily. Pondering Mary’s smile, reminded me of the incident in the Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul" where St. Therese described how when she was very sick as a young girl she had a small statue of Mary at her bedside and the statue became alive and smiled on her. She was cured of her illness. (Chapter 3 - Childhood Sufferings).