Magnificat

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 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. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. 

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. (Luke 1:39-56)

Our Gospel is the Magnificat.  Its focus is on Mary and her unborn child.  Blessed is the fruit of her womb.  It also has Mary describe what God has done for everyone, not just her.  Considering what is now happening throughout the world due the coronavirus and clashes between those who have and have not, we can ask if God has scattered the proud in their conceit; has cast down the mighty from their thrones; and has lifted up the lowly.  Has God filled the hungry with good things, and have the rich been sent away empty?  One wonders because there is much evidence to the contrary in the United States and elsewhere.

Frankly, we know what God wants, but do we comply?  We are the Body of Christ, but do we serve his needs and keep his commandments?  Do we let the proud and conceited have their way?  Do we bow at the thrones of the mighty and let them remain on their thrones in positions of leadership?  Do the lowly bear our weight as well?  Do we do all we can do to feed the hungry by opposing positions and policies that leave them starving, especially our children? Are the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor, and we tolerate that injustice? 

Let’s answer these questions with Mary in mind. Can we honestly respond: “Our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord; our spirits rejoice in God our Savior who looks with favor on us – God’s lowly servants.

Deacon David Pierce