Twas the night before advent and today through the long drive of 300 hundred miles home, I worked on memorizing the “Magnificat” or Mary’s song from Luke, chapter 1. It is a beautiful hymn that has been sung by the Church through the centuries. As Luke tells it, Mary is pregnant with Jesus and rushes to her kinswoman Elizabeth’s house (you can surmise why the haste to get away) where she stays for three months. Elizabeth greets her with warmth, joy and a surprising blessing—saying that she knows Mary is the mother of the Lord. Mary’s words of relief and response to Elizabeth go like this:
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 as 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 his descendants forever.
A confession: I had to make several corrections in the above typing which I attempted to do for memory and failed. Obviously I don’t quite know it by heart yet. But I will continue working on it throughout the 23 days of advent. Why? It seems to be a good counterpoint to the typical frenzy of the season. It shifts one’s gaze in a different direction—to noticing what God is doing rather than being consumed by checking my long personal lists. My goal for this blog is to post something each day as I reflect on the Magnificat’s meaning for me in this time and place.
See you tomorrow.
Anonymous says
We will be waiting…