Meditation 79
THE THREEFOLD CROWN
The Crown of Power
Mary was crowned with the three-fold crown of Power, Wisdom and Love. Let us pause to consider the beauty and grandeur of this three-fold crown.
1. God's omnipotence.
Consider, first, the infinite power of God. Rightly do we call Him All-powerful. He can do all; and nothing can stand against His will. Sometimes we are tempted to believe that men also can do so many things. How many wonderful inventions! How much skill and power they display! And yet, how small is the power of men in comparison with the power of God! At the moment when mankind seems to be on the brink of some great discovery, it often happens that some great difficulty crops up which they are unable to overcome. How often we want something done but cannot achieve it, or we want to stop some force and we find ourselves powerless. In front of a tomb, think of the "power" of men and you will smile. No one can halt death indefinitely. Science must ultimately be overcome. Nor can the decay of the body in the tomb be averted.
On the contrary, look at the unrestricted power of God. He did as He wished, as He wanted, when He wanted, with no other agency to impose limits except His Holy Will. The whole creation cost Him no effort. No loss of energy, no help from His angels, no time was required for His achievement. Things sprang into existence immediately, out of nothingness, in obedience to His command. No other act was needed save the act of His Divine Will.
And even now He keeps and preserves all existence. Everything is in His hands. Should He wish to send the whole creation into nothingness, He would just have to withhold His hands and power. He has only to abandon us to ourselves.
All the power of all men together cannot create, cannot bring a blade of grass into existence our of nothingness, cannot out of nothingness shape a little ant, a little worm! It cannot even send back to nothingness a little insect or anything existing.
That is why the angels gather around His throne, trembling in front of His power and majesty, all obeying His least desire reverently, eager to carry it into execution. This devouring fire, those mighty masses of water, this glorious air, that gigantic impetus of the seas, those complicated movements of the planets and stars that crowd space, everything in one word, life and death, health and illness, time and eternity, is subject to God. Everything is under His command.
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
1. God's omnipotence.
Consider, first, the infinite power of God. Rightly do we call Him All-powerful. He can do all; and nothing can stand against His will. Sometimes we are tempted to believe that men also can do so many things. How many wonderful inventions! How much skill and power they display! And yet, how small is the power of men in comparison with the power of God! At the moment when mankind seems to be on the brink of some great discovery, it often happens that some great difficulty crops up which they are unable to overcome. How often we want something done but cannot achieve it, or we want to stop some force and we find ourselves powerless. In front of a tomb, think of the "power" of men and you will smile. No one can halt death indefinitely. Science must ultimately be overcome. Nor can the decay of the body in the tomb be averted.
On the contrary, look at the unrestricted power of God. He did as He wished, as He wanted, when He wanted, with no other agency to impose limits except His Holy Will. The whole creation cost Him no effort. No loss of energy, no help from His angels, no time was required for His achievement. Things sprang into existence immediately, out of nothingness, in obedience to His command. No other act was needed save the act of His Divine Will.
And even now He keeps and preserves all existence. Everything is in His hands. Should He wish to send the whole creation into nothingness, He would just have to withhold His hands and power. He has only to abandon us to ourselves.
All the power of all men together cannot create, cannot bring a blade of grass into existence our of nothingness, cannot out of nothingness shape a little ant, a little worm! It cannot even send back to nothingness a little insect or anything existing.
That is why the angels gather around His throne, trembling in front of His power and majesty, all obeying His least desire reverently, eager to carry it into execution. This devouring fire, those mighty masses of water, this glorious air, that gigantic impetus of the seas, those complicated movements of the planets and stars that crowd space, everything in one word, life and death, health and illness, time and eternity, is subject to God. Everything is under His command.
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
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