One in Christ / Daniel Conway

Let Blessed Virgin Mary’s humility inspire us, Pope Leo advises

(En Espanol)

The first encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIV is titled “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” It is a powerful reflection on the incomparable dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of the Creator.

Pope Leo is a welcome participant in the conversation about artificial intelligence; his voice is particularly strong, especially when he explains the moral implications of this increasingly powerful technology in the light of Catholic social teaching.

It is significant that the concluding section of “Magnifica Humanitas” (#243–245) reflect on the Magnificat, the song of praise sung by the Blessed Virgin Mary when she visited her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:46-55). “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Lk 1:46), Mary sings. “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name” (Lk 1:47-49).

Pope Leo sees Mary’s greatness as a sign of the dignity that God intends for all members of the human family. It is no accident that the Creator of all humankind chose “a young, poor and humble girl for his plan of salvation” (#243). This is a revelation about God’s preferences. The world situation in Mary’s time was much like it is today. Political power subjugates ordinary people, and economic might exercises rigid control over the daily lives of millions throughout the world.

And yet, everything has changed since Mary’s humble acceptance of her role in salvation history, her “yes” to the Word of God. As the Holy Father writes:

God has already shown the strength of his arm; he has already scattered the proud, cast down the mighty, lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. He has already helped Israel, his servant. God takes the part of the lowly. His plan is one that is often hidden beneath the opaque context of human events that see “the proud, the mighty and the rich” triumph. Yet his secret strength is destined in the end to be revealed. (#243)

Through Mary, human dignity is revealed in all its splendor. The Light of the World, which is hidden in her womb, shines brightly, and the Truth that is God Incarnate speaks so that all who have ears to hear it are deeply moved.

Pope Leo reflects on Mary’s role in salvation history. He says:

The Blessed Virgin Mary not only teaches us to recognize God’s invisible work, but also directs our gaze to the points at which humanity is broken and the world becomes distorted: the contrast between the humble and the powerful, the poor and the rich, the satiated and the hungry, teaching us to look at the world from a lower position: through the eyes of those who suffer rather than the mighty; to view history through the eyes of the little ones, rather than through the perspective of the powerful; to interpret the events of history from the viewpoint of the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the wounded child, the exile and the fugitive. (#244)

Clearly, God’s understanding of “magnificent humanity” is very different from what the world understands it to be. Mary is a “lowly servant,” not a person of power. She stands with the poor and the hungry rather than with those whose appetites have been satisfied. She sees the world with the eyes of those who suffer, and she understands what it means to be truly human from the perspective of those who are lowly.

“I entrust our desire to the Mother of Christ, to the woman of the Magnificat,” the Holy Father writes, “that she may guide our steps through this time of change and preserve in each of us true faith in the Gospel, so that we may bear witness to the grandeur of humanity, in which God has made his dwelling.” (#245)

Pope Leo calls Mary a “weaver of hope” (#245). She is someone who takes the raw materials of life—its sorrows and hardships as well as its comforts—and she transforms them. She gives witness to the greatness of God in the humility of her own life.

May her experiences as a woman of faith, hope and love inspire us to “safeguard the human person during this time of artificial intelligence” so that the grandeur of our humanity outweighs the practical advantages of political and economic power.
 

(Daniel Conway is a member of The Criterion’s editorial committee.) †