I made a slideshow of some of my mother’s pictures, because a lot of people were requesting it. It’s a great slideshow of pictures that my sister-in-law made around the time of my mother’s funeral. The slideshow puts her life “in the flesh”, so to speak.
I thought I’d make one with the computer, and then post it somewhere, or email it out. So, after fumbling for a good few hours, I learned the other day how to make a slideshow using a thing called flashvideo. Now, I don’t know how it all works, but the bottom line is that this software makes two computer files. Not one – that would be too simple – but two. Both files are needed.
So, what’s the deal with two files? Well, one is huge and contains all the goods. It has all the pictures, the slides, the music, all the information for timing the slides and making them change at the right time, making sure the music matches the slides. It has 10,174 kilobytes. It has everything.
What about the other file?
Well, it’s tiny. It only has a measly 2 kilobytes. And it has only one little job. What is it?
It opens the web browser and lets the other computer file – the one with all the goods – do its thing.
That’s all.
So, if I send the little file alone, of course it can’t do anything worthwhile, because it doesn’t have the goods. 2 measly kilobytes! The big file has all the goods. But that little file is very important! Because if I don’t send that little one along, the big file can’t do anything either. It can never even get into the web browser. And my mother’s life is not made visible.
The Blessed Virgin Mary does not appear in the Bible doing great and remarkable feats. In the Bible, she does not convert anyone with preaching, she does not heal anyone’s sickness, she does not drive out any bad spirits, she does not fight battles, she does not shepherd people to safety, she does not conquer world poverty. In fact, she’s hardly mentioned by name. Mary is tiny. And she has only one little job: it’s to open herself and let God in.
Of course, Mary alone can do nothing worthwhile: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5) God has all the goods: “No one is good but God alone.” (Mk 10:18)
But Mary is very important! “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:42) God can do nothing without Mary. Without Mary, God cannot even enter the world.
Because she opened herself up to God completely, God came into the world. Everyone got to see Him in the flesh.
You may not feel that you can do anything worthwhile. You may be convinced that you don’t have the goods. But you are very important! Without you, God can do nothing. Without you, He cannot even enter the world.
Each of us has one little job: to open ourselves up and let God in. Then He can enter the world around us. Then everyone can see Him – in the flesh.
A great contemporary analogy!