If you wish to read the texts click on the texts: 1 Sam 1:24-28; Lk 1:46-56
The
verses which make up the Gospel text of today are commonly known as “The
Magnificat” or Mary’s hymn of praise. It seems to have been modeled on the
prayer of Samuel’s mother, Hannah, in 1 Sam 2:1-10 and contains many Old
Testament concepts and phrases. It communicates a picture of Mary as someone
quite steeped in scripture. It reveals God primarily as a God of the poor. God
is the one who will vindicate the poor by removing the rich and mighty from
their positions and raising the lowly.
The
hymn may be seen to be divided into four parts. The first part consists of
praise to God for what he has done in and for Mary; the second part speaks of
God’s power, holiness and mercy; the third part shows God acting as a Sovereign
in reversing social conditions in favor of the poor and downtrodden; and the
fourth and final part recalls God’s mercy and promises to Israel.
The
hymn speaks of the effects of the Lord’s coming for all of God’s people. It
begins on a note of salvation as Mary acknowledges her dependence on God. It
was the grace of God that sustained and brought her to the position in which
she finds herself. She has not achieved anything on her own, it is all a gift
of God and thus, Mary acknowledges her humble state, referring to herself as
God’s servant. She is to be called “blessed’ because God, in his mercy and
goodness, had raised her to this level.
God
has shown this mercy and goodness to the poor by showing the strength of his
arm, by scattering the proud, and deposing the powerful. The poor, on the other
hand, have been raised, and the hungry have been filled. God remembers not only
those of old but also the present generation. He is a God not only of the past,
but also a God of the present, the now.
The
stress on God as a God primarily of the poor stands out in Mary’s hymn of
praise. In a world where the rich seem to be getting richer and the poor, poorer,
one wonders whether the Magnificat is a hymn that can make sense to the poor,
to those of low degree. Yet, it is important to remember that God’s ways are
not our ways and so, the poor must, in confidence, sing this song as their
song. The confidence with which Mary sings this song runs through the entire
hymn. She uses past tense to denote God’s future actions, thus expressing that
God will indeed accomplish his will, and the poor will be vindicated. What is
important for the poor to realize is that they, like Mary, need to continue to
open themselves to all that God wants to do in them. They need to continue to
acknowledge their dependence on God by doing all that is required of them and
then, leaving the rest in his capable and strong hands.
Thanks Fr Errol for your article in the Christmas issue of the 'Examiner'
ReplyDeleteA Refl ection on the
Prologue of John (Jn 1:1-18)
Your opening lines are the fulfillment of Mary's Magnificat"..... Christmas is the birth, not merely of a child,
but the birth of the Child who would change
the destiny of humans forever.
nc