The Magnificat and the sublime normalcy of Mary juxtaposes our vision of her: her specialness: against her lowliness.
For the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Collect
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Reading
From Luke 1:39-45(46-55)
“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.””
Reflection
How many times have we tried to put ourselves into Mary’s shoes this time of year? Perhaps we don’t do this every year. But we’ve certainly done it more than once.
There is no denying the challenge she has been invited into. And no question that a lesser person may have found it all too much.
This, of course, is where our minds often go. To the the certainty of Mary’s good character, the relative weakness of others, and then probably the weakness of our own.
Then again, this is why God picked her, right? Because she was bound to say yes? Because she is so special (and therefore others are not).
I suspect this is all vaguely true.
And also a bit nonsensical; a counterfactual. Because it didn’t play out the other way. There were no fallback choices. Nor is Mary’s “yes” in opposition to our hypothetical “no”. It is only ever really her “yes.”
And Mary’s response in song, which we know as the Magnificat, is humblingly beautiful and provocatively hopeful.
It begins with a kind of theological ambition we should long for:
My soul magnifies the Lord
How often we jump to the second half of the line, but this is the opening. Her soul magnifies God.
Presently. Not in the birth of Jesus. Not in the sequential happenings of the incarnation process. And certainly not in her being Mary. This is its own thing!
It is her soul that magnifies God.
And magnifies in a way all can see.
There is much else that to love about the Magnificat, but let us begin where she begins: with a soul that magnifies the Lord.
Created with the divine spark of God, our souls can magnify the Lord. Just as our spirits can rejoice in God our savior. For we know that God has looked upon the lowliness of us, the servants.
Being special isn’t relative to each other, but in relation to God’s love.