Father in heaven, by your grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Psalm
113
The Readings
I Samuel 2:1-10 + Romans 12:9-16b + Luke 1:39-57
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ..."
~Luke 1:46-47
Mary's visit to her relative Elizabeth, following close after Gabriel's annunciation, is the occasion for this remarkable meeting. These two women, pregnant with God's Messiah and his forerunner, John, are caught up in an exuberant, Holy Spirit-filled outpouring of thanksgiving and praise to God. Elizabeth's astonished and humbled joy confirm Gabriel's message, and Mary responds with one of the greatest hymns of praise in all of Scripture. Mary's song, the Magnificat, has for centuries been taken up by the church, especially at the close of the day, as a hymn to the God who upends the injustices of this world (see Evening Prayer in the BCP, pp. 65 and 119). That God is present and faithful to do this is seen in Mary herself--by the world's standards an obscure, poor, and powerless girl, who becomes ever-blessed, the very bearer of God into the world.
Perhaps that role justifies the remarkable claim with which Mary's song opens: that her "soul magnifies the Lord"--that Mary herself enlarges God, makes God greater. In one sense, of course, no one can make God greater than God already is. But in another sense she does indeed do this, in that her bringing Jesus to birth makes God more present, more accessible, and, yes, greater, to us in our world.
When the people of God take up Mary's song of praise to God, we honor her and we remember this remarkable meeting of women that confirms God's saving love and faithfulness. But that is not all--we also claim the song as our own. We ourselves proclaim that our souls magnify the Lord. We can do this in confidence, because the power and privilege to make God more present in this world is not confined to the actual birthing of Jesus in time. As today's collect reminds us, drawing on Luke 11:27-28, even Mary's greatest joy was to be a disciple of her Son. As a prayer attributed to St. Augustine also attests:
Thou, O Mary, hast perfectly fulfilled the will of the heavenly Father; thy greatest honor and blessedness is not to have been the mother only, but also the disciple of Christ. Blessed art thou to have heard the Word of God and to have kept it within thy heart. Thou didst harbor the truth of Christ in thine understanding, even more than his human flesh in thy womb. Thou art the beauty and dignity of earth, O Blessed Virgin Mary.*
And such are we, also. We, the disciples of Jesus, called and empowered by the Spirit to magnify the Lord in all the world.
Closing PrayerPerhaps that role justifies the remarkable claim with which Mary's song opens: that her "soul magnifies the Lord"--that Mary herself enlarges God, makes God greater. In one sense, of course, no one can make God greater than God already is. But in another sense she does indeed do this, in that her bringing Jesus to birth makes God more present, more accessible, and, yes, greater, to us in our world.
When the people of God take up Mary's song of praise to God, we honor her and we remember this remarkable meeting of women that confirms God's saving love and faithfulness. But that is not all--we also claim the song as our own. We ourselves proclaim that our souls magnify the Lord. We can do this in confidence, because the power and privilege to make God more present in this world is not confined to the actual birthing of Jesus in time. As today's collect reminds us, drawing on Luke 11:27-28, even Mary's greatest joy was to be a disciple of her Son. As a prayer attributed to St. Augustine also attests:
Thou, O Mary, hast perfectly fulfilled the will of the heavenly Father; thy greatest honor and blessedness is not to have been the mother only, but also the disciple of Christ. Blessed art thou to have heard the Word of God and to have kept it within thy heart. Thou didst harbor the truth of Christ in thine understanding, even more than his human flesh in thy womb. Thou art the beauty and dignity of earth, O Blessed Virgin Mary.*
And such are we, also. We, the disciples of Jesus, called and empowered by the Spirit to magnify the Lord in all the world.
Blessed God, thank you for saving us, in faithfulness to your promise and your great mercy. Help us, like Mary, to be faithful to you. As we seek to follow and obey Jesus our Lord, may the joy of your Spirit overflow into the world. And may all our lives proclaim and make present your greatness, today and always. Amen.
The Visitation, by Janet McKenzie
A setting of the Magnificat, by William Harris.
Sung by the Anglican Chorale of Southeast Florida, at Trinity Cathedral, Miami.
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