THE MAGNIFICAT
2. He has driven the Proud astray in the conceit of Their Hearts.
Here you have another token of the might of His arm. His omnipotence shines forth in His works of mercy and bounty, but also in His works of justice. Just as His mercy embraces the humble, so does His justice reach the proud. Our Heavenly Mother would certainly recall the difference between Her exaltation to the Throne of God in order to be Empress of Heaven, and the miserable fall of Lucifer from the heights of Heaven to the abysses of Hell. She was exalted for for Her humility, he fell on account of his pride.
Note this expression: The proud in their conceit of their heart. She is clearly referring to the internal pride, not to the external, which is rather a fatuous vanity. the inner pride is more refined. Outwardly it appears humble whereas inwardly the pride of heart and mind is deeply rooted. And the worst of it is that this pride is so subtle that it penetrates to the most intimate recesses of our heart almost unnoticed by us.
Pay attention to the distinction between pride of mind and pride of heart. By pride of mind we, firmly convinced of being right, stick to our opinion, refuse to yield. We must always be right, we can stand no contradiction,we never give way. Pride of the heart is that accursed self-love which strikes deep roots in our hearts.
Ask Our Lady to free you from such double pride of mind and heart so that through Her intercession we may escape that Divine Justice which, according to Our Lady Herself, deals out such dire punishment to interior pride.
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
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