Mary's Song


46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Reflection:
As Mary is inspired to utter what is called the "Magnificat", we see some significant things about the nature of God. This song of Mary is sung within many liturgical churches, especially with the Roman Catholic and other traditional churches like the Lutheran and Episcopal. It is often used at nightly vespers services. This was one of the earliest Christian hymns in the church. One commentary said this about the Magnificat:

Mary's Magnificat, celebrated only in Luke's Gospel, is one of four hymns, distilled from a collection of early Jewish-Christian canticles, which complement the promise/fulfillment theme of Luke's infancy narrative. These songs are Mary's Magnificat; Zechariah's Benedictus (1:67-79); the angels' Gloria in Excelsis (2:13-14); and Simeon's Nunc Dimittis (2:28-32). In form and content, these four psalms are patterned on the "hymns of praise" in Israel's Psalter. In structure, these songs reflect the compositions of pre-Christian contemporary Jewish hymnology. (Magnificat, Catholic Encyclopedia)

Praise and worship has always been a part of the response to God's revelation to us. Worship always follows what God has done for us in Christ. Notice all the "he has done" in the passage. He has brought down, he has fulfilled, he has helped are a few of the examples. True worship flows upward in response to the downward descent of God the Father in God the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. We read that there are angels in heaven who surround the throne of God with the Lamb in the center, and worship all day long singing, "holy, holy, holy"!

When we worship we are doing something we were created to do. We are going to worship something, the only question is what. That is why on Sunday we call it the "worship" service. We hear God's Word, receive the Sacrament and then respond in prayer and praise. We don't go to church, we go to worship. And we don't just worship on Sunday, but every day of our lives. When Mary received this incredible revelation of how God was going to use her, she could only respond in joyful and thankful worship.

How is your worship life? Have you spent time worshipping God in lieu of what He has done for you? You don't have to wait until Sunday. You can do it right now wherever you are. If you don't know where to start, just begin to list all the things you are thankful for. May our souls glorify The Lord and our Spirit rejoice in all He has done.

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