And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 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 powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Luke 1:46-55
Martin Luther used to talk about God’s work in our lives as the “great exchange”. Jesus takes our sin upon himself and sets us free. Jesus takes our dirty garments and puts a clean white robe on us. Jesus changes places with us.
In Mary’s song, God is working the great exchange. Everything is turned upside down.
The proud are scattered. The powerful brought low. The lowly lifted up. The hungry fed. The rich left empty. Certainly this is good news for the humble, the lowly, the hungry and the poor.
But where does that leave us? I’m rich. I’m well-fed. I’m certainly not powerless.
What do we do with Mary’s song?
Perhaps it is enough that her song opens our eyes to the reality of the world. The vast majority of people live in gut-wrenching poverty. The vast majority of people live every day as a battle to survive. These are year around challenges that don’t go away. Dropping a few bucks on Christmas presents for poor kids will brighten their day but they won’t improve their lives nor will they change the ways of the world toward justice and “enoughness.”
Maybe what we do with Mary’s song on a Monday morning is realize that God is always mindful of people we most often ignore.
Let us pray: Dear Lord, you came to a young girl who freely took upon herself the mission that you gave to her. We pray for that same kind of willingness to live, do and be your courageous ambassadors of your Kingdom. While it is good that we be grateful for the lives you have given us, let us never be content in a world full of discontent. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
December 20, 2011 at 5:36 am |
A sobering and challenging reflection on the Blessed Mother’s Magnificat.
December 20, 2011 at 10:46 am |
The Magnificat is one of the most stunning and beautiful passages in the Bible – perhaps closely followed by Elizabeth’s.
We are so blessed and yet as Christmas approaches, we still so often forget the reason for the season.
So as the world goes on, we stand aside in ignorant bliss.
May the Holy Child come into our lives this season and bless us with this prophecy of Mary and of His vision of what the world can be!
Blessed’ Christmas!