Word to the Wise
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 - December 22
[1 Sam 1:24-28 and Luke 1:46-56]"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name." [Luke]
The Magnificat - the Canticle of Mary - is a hymn of praise proclaimed by Mary in response to Elizabeth's greeting. It is somewhat modeled by the evangelist Luke on the hymn of praise by Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 in thanksgiving to God for the birth of Samuel, when she had given up all hope of conceiving! Mary's hymn ("canticle") is sung by the Church every day at Evening Prayer. Each time, we are reminded of the broad drama of divine providence in which the Incarnation plays the pivotal part. Mary gives thanks for her "supporting role" and points, at the end, to the "promise/fulfillment" character of the birth of God-made-man - a promise made originally to Abraham!
Our own participation in this great mystery can be as broad as the Canticle when we ponder all the theological and pastoral implications of the Incarnation. But it can also be particular as we place ourselves in the event itself (what, I think, St. Ignatius of Loyola called the "composition of scene"). This may depend on how "sanitized" we make that stable in Bethlehem!
As we look upon the nativity scene, we can realize that this really happened to real people and we are paying attention to it because it is "reason for the season." We can decorate it as we will, but the journey of the principal characters is fraught with danger ahead from a wooden manger to a wooden cross. The birth of Jesus will lead to our rebirth in baptism. All of this is immense to think about, but it can lift us above the "holiday culture" to the same thankfulness of Mary's Magnificat! AMEN