“The Magnificat, Part 2 of the Visit”
When we think about preparing for Christmas, we ought to
realize the many surprises that might come our way. I once got a gaudy t-shirt from a relative
that I honestly didn’t know what to do with (I gave it to Goodwill😊) I was surprised by a very generous gift
that was given to me without any prior expectations on my part. I remember when we were surprised by a visit
from one of our children who we did not think was going to make it home for
Christmas. People's surprises are the
best ones. The story we’ve been reading
in Luke’s Gospel in our Advent reading was filled with many surprises.
We looked yesterday at Mary’s surprise visit to her cousin
Elizabeth – a 60+ mile journey – which created a ripple effect of heavenly
praise. When Elizabeth was greeted by
Mary, she immediately was filled with the Holy Spirit, “and she exclaimed
with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb!’” (Luke 1:42). The words came out – I believe – without her thinking
about them or planning to say them. They
were the Holy Spirit's spontaneous words of honor for Mary who she called, “the
mother of our Lord”.
What did Mary think when those words were spoken? I think she felt both relief, as well as a gratefulness
of affirmation. Mary had been told by
the Angel Gabriel of her very unusual conception, and of the child that she
would birth – Jesus. As we will soon read,
it took a visit from Gabriel to Joseph, whom Mary was betrothed to, to make
sure Joseph would not divorce Mary. In
all likelihood, Mary’s travel to Elizabeth was not with great expectations – except
that she knew Elizabeth also was going to have a miraculous child.
When Mary heard Elizabeth’s Holy Spirit words spill out of
her mouth, I cannot help but feel it brought joy and peace to her soul. Think about being a young Virgin who is
carrying a baby before her marriage.
Mary must have known the finger-pointing, judgments that were going to
be hurled at her. Elizabeth’s surprised words
came from within her – but they were God’s words to Mary to affirm all that was
happening to her.
Then Mary, filled with the same Spirit sings a Song of praise
and prophecy. The Church calls Mary’s
song, “The Magnificat”. The Magnificat
is also known as the Canticle of Mary in the Liturgy of the Hours. Its name comes from the first line of its
text in Latin (“Magnificat anima mea Dominum”) translated in the first
line of the Song. God’s Spirit is at
work and she proclaims the Lord’s greatness with characteristic humility and
grace here.
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his
servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is
mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts
of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted
those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich
he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to
our fathers, to Abraham, and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-55)
“Magnificat” – the verb in Latin means “Glories”. In the form of a Psalm, it has much in
common with Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2, when God miraculously provided a
child to Hannah, who would grow up to be the Prophet Samuel. As we read the words, we can sense Mary’s
amazement – in the form of humility – of what God is doing in her lowly person. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once referred to
our Mary as being like “a magnifying glass that intensifies our love of her
Son.”
When Mary makes a prophetic claim that “all generations
shall call me blessed” she is not taking away from her humility. What seems
to be a boast here, is much like the Apostle Paul in scripture when he said, “whoever
boasts, should boast in the Lord” (2 Cor 10:17). Mary is not boasting of herself, but rather of
what God has done. It’s as if she was saying, Look
at what God is doing through us.
The Magnificat is more than a prayer of
praise. It should remind us about the essential link between humility and
holiness. Just as God has “regarded the lowliness of his handmaid” and “has
done great things” for Mary in making her the Mother of his Son, so too “he
has put down the mighty from their thrones (with his own might!) and has
exalted the lowly.”
The Magnificat is a precursor to Jesus’ words in the
Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven…Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth… Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied...Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy…Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God”. (Matthew 5:3, 5-8).
This visit reminds us that if we can see how God is at work in
our lives, we will speak, sing, pray, praise, and humbly thank God for everything. Let us allow Mary’s song of praise to be a
way of learning how to humbly give thanks to God for everything in our lives.
How about musing a bit on this theme, and asking the
question: “Am I seeing God at work in my life?
Am I giving praise to him, even as I humbly see it’s all his work?”
Peace
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