Word to the Wise
Friday, December 22, 2023 - 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]
DECEMBER 22 COUNTDOWN DAY TO CHRISTMAS (807th Anniversary of the Official Approval of the Dominican Order by Pope Honorius III)
These words begin what is traditionally called The Magnificat canticle from the Latin verb that begins it. The spotlight shines on Mary at this moment when she responds to Elizabeth's cry: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
The Canticle of Mary is a broad hymn of the divine plan of salvation in history expressed in the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. The fulfillment of this promise was personified in Mary by her willing cooperation in becoming the mother of Jesus Christ. The evangelist Luke will later broaden the historical perspective in his genealogy of Jesus by tracing it back beyond Abraham to Adam! [Luke 3:23-38]
In the mystery of the Incarnation the timeless meets the time-conditioned. In the manger scene, all of human history is compressed into one event, to be proclaimed by angels, shepherds and Magi, but most of all by Mary, who gives birth to the savior. It is because of this that the Council of Ephesus declared (for us) Mary "the Mother of God." What we see in the manger scene with eyes of faith is far greater than the physical scene itself. We are called to bear witness with the angels, shepherds, Magi, little drummer boy, John the Baptist, camels, sheep, cattle and any other traditional figurines we place there, and see how Mary's soul proclaims the glory of the Lord! AMEN