Magnificat – Lk 1:46-56
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked upon 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 remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.” (Lk 1:46-56)
" My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior " (Lk 1:46). No human being had the opportunity to be as close to God as Mary - there was no border of sin between her and God. She, full of grace, got to know who love is and she was inspired by this miracle, glorifying God for the gifts given to her, and through her to all people. He rejoices from the gifts, but most of all he rejoices of the Giver. The whole space between her and God is filled with love, the fruit of which is her Son. The joy that comes from this must be shouted out, because one heart cannot hold it. And this joyful song of gratitude sung in Elizabeth's house will embrace the whole world and will never be silent - and we all will sing it beautifullytogether with our Mother in our Father's house.
Joy and thanksgiving, enthusiasm and praise to God are the basic topic of the hymn that was sung by Mary, who was pregnant with the Son of God.
In Old Testament times, a similar hymn was sung to God by Hannah, Samuel's mother, when she was blessed with a child despite her barrenness. But the hymn of Mary expresses the joy and thanksgiving of all of us who rejoice in the gift of Christmas. The love of the Eternal Father for us is so inconceivable, that he deigned to give us his own Son!
Mary especially praises the three attributes of God in her hymn - Omnipotence, Holiness and Mercy. Not only the Almighty did great things for Mary by choosing her to be the mother of his Son - but for all of us who believed in Him, believed in Jesus Christ, and through his grace we go to eternal life. And God showed His mercy not only to Mary, but "His mercy from age to age for those who fear him." With His mercy, God, who gives us His own Son, wants to embrace each of us, even the greatest sinners.
The only limit to God's mercy is our pride, which makes us despise Him. And for this He, whose name is holy, gave us his Son, that we too might become partakers of his holiness.
Almighty, Holy and Merciful God gives His Son to all people without exception, but not all accept this gift. In her hymn of thanksgiving, the Blessed Mother says that proud people, closed to the very need of salvation, will be thrown from their thrones and sent away with nothing. Only hungry, humble and God-fearing people can accept salvation. So, let us check ourselves whether we have these three qualities that are necessary for man to accept the Savior and the salvation that He brings. First: are we hungry - hungry for ultimate truth, hungry for justice, hungry for God who is love? Secondly: do we build humility in ourselves - this attitude thanks to which man seeks all his worth and dignity not in himself, but in God who created us (and therefore created us, because he loved selflessly)? And thirdly: is there the fear of God in us, that is, this fear that comes from love, that there is nothing in us that does not please God who loves us.
Let us repeat: only those who are hungry for salvation and who are humble and have fear of God are able to receive the Savior and truly enjoy Him.
The Magnificat is personal. It touches deeply the heart that is so poignantly ours. It hits the spot - where I am. The Magnificat is an experience of my own uniqueness, the discovery that God "did great things" for me.
The Magnificat is personal also in the sense that we must express it ourselves, with our own voice, and in our own way say what is between us and God. The words of the prophets and saints, the words of Mary - we can draw from them, but we must make these words our own. Finally, to feel like Abraham's seed - to experience this bond, this community, to experience the Church, being at home. We know the story of the Mother of Jesus - just as her fate has been woven into the history of salvation, the same true is with us.
Behold, our God is great and does whatever He wants, and he wants just this: to come closer to the humble, to us. While singing the Magnificat, I stand before the whole world to announce it, say it, live it. Because Magnificat has an Addressee, but it also has listeners. Can you feel their eyes on you? They look carefully, sometimes they come close, within the distance of the voice. They hear you.
Singing the Magnificat is like reminding God and myself of his promises, of what he "promised our fathers". Tell God: I know that you know that I know. I know about your promises, about your love; You know what is in my heart, what is happening to me, you know me.
Until tomorrow
fr. george