Magnificat Versus Iron Thrones

Today we celebrate the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

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,

"Most 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, he 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).

The last part of this reading is the Magnificat prayer.  If only Mary’s prayer was to be answered.  It lists admirable outcomes such as: “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.”  Very unfortunately, those perched on thrones of wealth and power have armies of sycophants to keep them on their seats.  Wealth buys influence and insolation from the woes and trials of the lowly – the poor.  The rich are not sent away empty.  The proud are not scattered in their conceit.  

Yes, Mary was most blessed among women, and blessed was the fruit of her womb.  Her soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord; her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior, for he looked with favor on his lowly servant, Mary.  We all do her a great disservice when we say this prayer and then do otherwise by serving the proud and unmerciful on their iron thrones.  For example, and tragically, many of us “serve” the unmerciful Vladimir Putin by siding with his dictatorship and war crimes.  Politics makes for very strange bedfellows. 

We always must fill the hungry with good things. We always must act in ways that result in our souls proclaiming the greatness of the Lord.  When we do, the Lord will look with favor on us, his lowly servants. Let's agree that Mary and her message will remain with us for more than three months.

Deacon David Pierce