Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Advent
[1 Samuel 1:24-28 and Luke 1:46-56]My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior......
The "Magnficat" (Canticle of Mary) is one of the most majestic poems of the entire Bible! It is recited at Evening Prayer every day of the year. Each time it is read or recited, a tremendous amount of theological reality is invoked. God's entire plan of salvation is laid out! Huge commentaries have been written on it, so I will only add a few brief words of reflection. The first thing is that I urge everyone to read the canticle closely and see how a grand plan of salvation is worked out through the willing obedience of one person! Mary is truly call blessed by all generations. Then we should recall that the "infancy narratives" are mini-gospels, and the Magnificat itself is a mini-gospel within a mini-gospel. See how it describes the ministry of Jesus yet to come. Last but not least, we may reflect on the words: "the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." Since Mary is portrayed as the model disciple, we might follow her example at this time of year and give thanks for the great things that God has done for us in the past year (or years). AMEN