Magnificat

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.  And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.  Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."

And Mary said:

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever."

 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

- Luke 1:39-56

 Yesterday, we read that in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to  city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin's name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"  But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."  Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"  And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible."  Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord!  Let it be to me according to your word."  And the angel departed from her.

 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.  And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. My study bible says that "because Christ is now incarnate, prophecy resumes in Israel.  The blessed John prophesies of the presence of Christ by leaping in the womb of Elizabeth.  As he is God's prophet, John's recognition of Christ fulfills what was spoken of Jeremiah:  'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jeremiah 1:5)."

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"  Mary, says my study bible, receives veneration from both angels and humans.  As Gabriel had done earlier in this chapter, so now Elizabeth declare Mary to be blessed among women.

"But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.  Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."  My study bible notes here that Mary is confessed as the mother of My Lord.  This confession, and others like it within the Church ("Theotokos" [Gr. God-bearer], "Mother of God," etc.), confirm that the One in the womb of Mary is both human and divine -- the very Son of God Himself.  At Vespers of Annunciation the Eastern Church declares, "It is the Word of God who dwells within her."  Even though His physical body was not yet fully formed, Jesus is nevertheless fully and truly the Son of God incarnate, and Mary is already recognized as being His mother. 

And Mary said:  "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.  For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;  for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.  For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.  And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with His arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.  He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever."  And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.   This passage (Mary's song) is known as the "Magnificat" from the first word of the song in Latin.  It comes from the heart of Mary, and was inspired by the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10).  My study bible says that it is normally sung at Matins in the liturgical cycle, and that from this inspired hymn we are taught:  (1)  Christian believers for all time will honor and venerate the Virgin Mary, for she prophesied that all generations will call me blessed; (2) it is impossible to believe in the inspiration of Scripture and not bless the Mother of God; (3)  Mary ascribe the miracle of the Incarnation of God, and not to herself, showing both deep humility and the knowledge that God is the source of all grace; (4) through the Incarnation, God reigns over all."

The man who will be known as Jesus is barely a fetus in His human mother's womb, but He is nevertheless already understood to be My Lord.   John stirring in the womb of Elizabeth confirms the presence of the Holy One who is growing in Mary at this time.  Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesies.  And this is truly, finally, the time of prophecy.  That is, prophecy, the work of the Holy Spirit, manifests freely in Israel again after a long time of "barrenness."  Great things are stirring, new things are manifesting.  The hand of God becomes apparent at work in these two women and the children they are to bear.  And the work of the Spirit manifests in song!  In praise and poetry, words that are Scripture, that live for us today, come spontaneously out of the mouths of those so blessed.  Mary's song is one inspired by Hannah, with very similar elements of praise.  It is a song of blessings, and a song of judgment and righteousness, because with this great work manifesting in the world, God has " shown strength with His arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."  In so doing, God has "helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever."   The joy in this announcement, like the one of Hannah, teaches us about God's work, God's blessings, and it is also about God's justice.  The empty are filled, the lowly are lifted, the poor inherit glory with the princes.  The work of God is like a great leavening, reminding us of John's words that will come to announce the Messiah:  "Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight."  God is the One who makes all things "straight."  He "evens up" the reality of the world that denies to some and takes away from others unjustly; but His mercy is on those who love Him forever.  As Jesus will say, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy"  (Matthew 5:7).  This great song is about the overflowing mercy and blessings of the Lord, the God who comes to His people who love Him, for whom everything come via faith, as Jesus' works will show.  Faith, that is, in the God who is justice and mercy, and truth and love, and teaches us righteousness -- to be "like Him."  Let us always recall how great a blessing this is: it is one for the whole world, it is accessed by anyone through faith.  This abundance of righteousness and mercy, of love and truth, of joy and peace, is here forever for any of us.  And it comes through this woman who calls herself blessed by God, her Savior.  It comes via her song to us, and the beauty of poetry in the verses; it is a chance for the redemption of all Israel and for all that follow.