Luke 1:46-56

Mary said:

“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.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months

and then returned to her home.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, my soul proclaims your greatness, and I rejoice in you as my Savior. You have looked upon me with your merciful gaze and done great things for me. You humble me when I am prideful and exalt me when I am poor in spirit. You have come to my aid and always remained faithful to your promises.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Poor and Humble: As we continue to read in the Infancy Narrative in the Gospel of Luke and prepare ourselves for the Nativity of our Lord, we encounter Mary’s canticle, known as the Magnificat. It is a canticle that reveals the spirituality of the poor (the anawim), “those faithful who not only recognize themselves as ‘poor’ in the detachment from all idolatry of riches and power, but also in the profound humility of a heart emptied of the temptation to pride and open to the bursting in of the divine saving grace” (Benedict XVI, February 15, 2006). The soul of Mary’s canticle and prayer is the celebration of divine grace: She recognizes that the Lord God, the Almighty, has done great things for her. Her prayer manifests that she knows that she is not alone in her experience of God’s grace. She has a mission that God has entrusted to her and she is part of salvation history. She remains humble even while recognizing how she has been greatly blessed by God and how all generations will call her blessed. How can I model my prayer on Mary’s prayer of praise?

2. A Sevenfold Praise of God’s Power: Mary praises God for seven actions that he has done repeatedly throughout history. First, the Lord has shown his power and the strength of his arm. All creation gives witness to the power of God, who has created all things and continues to sustain them. Israel especially witnessed the Lord’s power when he performed great signs and wonders as he delivered them from Egypt and guided them through the desert to the Promised Land. Mary reflects on how this power is manifested in the scattering of the proud of heart. Just as the people of Babel were scattered as they pridefully tried to ascend to the heavens, so also the people of the northern tribes of Israel were scattered by the Assyrians, and the people of the southern tribes of Judah were scattered to Babylon in captivity. Mary sees how God can cast down the mighty from their thrones and lift up the lowly. No authority is greater than God’s, and no one is so broken that God cannot heal them.

3. The Promise of Mercy: As Mary continues her praise of God’s seven actions, she contrasts how God feeds the hungry and despoils the rich. Pride, power, and possessions can all be temptations that lead us away from God. And so, God mercifully casts down the powerful, scatters the prideful, and sends the rich away empty. By contrast, God also mercifully lifts up the lowly, helps his humble servants, and feeds those who are physically and spiritually hungry. God gives the gift of grace to us so that we can store up heavenly treasure. Mary’s prayer ends with a praise of God, who remembers his covenantal promise made to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendant. This blessing comes to us through the sending of the Holy Spirit by Jesus. Through this blessing, our sins are forgiven, and we are introduced into the family of God as adoptive sons and daughters.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the one who has accomplished great things. You saved the fallen human race by assuming our human nature and freeing us from the curse of death. Help me, with your Spirit, to sing a hymn of praise glorifying you and the Father.

Living the Word of God: How can I better imitate the model of Mary’s prayer? What elements of praise are lacking in my daily prayer? How can I be more attentive to God’s actions in my life and thank him for what he has done?