Word to the Wise
Monday, December 22, 2014 -
[1 Samuel 1:24-28 and 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."
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014 [798th Anniversary of the foundation of the Dominicans]
[1 Samuel 1:24-28 and Luke 1:46-86]
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."
The Canticle of Mary, also known as the Magnificat, takes placein the story of the visitation of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth, while both women are pregnant. Luke places this magnificent hymn in Mary's speech as a reflection of the entire meaning of the gospel. Scripture scholars such as Raymond Brown, S.S. in his The Birth of the Messiah, point out that almost every verse of the canticle may be found in the Old Testament or other ancient Jewish literature. The whole effect of the hymn is to proclaim that God has fulfilled the promise made to Abraham and has chosen a lowly person instead of an aristocrat to be the agent of salvation. The "Old Testament" is being fulfilled in the new.
One of the images I use in parish missions is that of "putting skin on" our baptismal commitment. Mary sees herself as putting skin on God's promise. Since her hymn has parallels with that of Hannah in 1 Samuel, whose own hymn of praise appears in today's responsorial psalm from the same chapter in 1 Samuel, Mary appears to be a fulfillment of that model as well. It is a very rich poem of God's salvation. In the Magnificat Mary becomes a much larger figure than the young mother in the manger scene, but that is part of this grander narrative we are all part of in celebrating the birth of Christ. AMEN
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