The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace. Micah 5: 1-4
As we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, on this Feast of her Birth, I consider…
Can the Lord take something small and make something great of it, or take someone small and make someone great of them?
Indeed, the answer is a resounding “Yes” as we see clearly in this reading from Micah today.
The Lord chose our Heavenly Mother, Mary, to be the Mother of Jesus, our Lord and God. The reading from Sacred Scripture in Micah says, God chose her from Bethlehem-Ephrathah, “too small to be among the clans of Judah.”
Sometimes do you feel small and wonder “Can the Lord use me since I feel like nothing?" Again, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Look what he did with Mary; he can do the same with us. Of course, only Mary will be the Mother of the Messiah, but we can be someone’s spiritual mother today. We can nurture them and speak tender encouraging words to them as only a mother can comfort.
Especially as we give our “Yes” as Mary did at the Annunciation, to be used as an instrument of the Lord, He will move in wonderful ways through us. We don’t have to think of being great or famous or any nonsense like that, just great today in small ways by doing a little something for someone that seems great to them.
When I feel overwhelmed with a sense of my littleness, I think of St. Therese of Lisieux, that great and wonderful saint that taught the “Little Way”—here’s a link to read more about her: http://www.becomingwomenofpeace.com/2011/03/st-therese-of-lisieux.html When I remember this way, I can take a breath of fresh air better and aim to do something little that only the Lord can make great.
Even Jesus, as Micah continues, relied on the strength of the LORD, “He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD,…” and in the power and majesty of his name.
By this way, we can do great things on this earth:
- · Believe
- · Joyfully surrender
- · Give our “Yes” to be used
- · Focus on being a blessing to someone today
- · Rely on the strength of the Lord
- · Stay in the Word
- · Do all in the powerful name of Jesus
And then Micah reminds us He shall be our peace. This is the way of peace.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil 1: 2
