Focus Verse Luke 1:46b-47
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"
The Magnificat, Latin for “magnifies,” is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary. Mary uses the words soul and spirit to tell us where God is moving within her. This is a very deep joy, one that does not come from the things of life but from the very presence of God within. This is a stance toward life we can emulate, one that absorbs our sufferings and rests with God, knowing that all shall be well. Mary is not rejoicing necessarily at the life that will unfold but that God will be with her each step of her life journey.
Reflection: Who in your life has blessed you, who has held your hand or your heart, someone who can breathe with you and tell you everything is going to be ok? How have you been that person for someone else in your life? Have you given God all that you are? If not, what is holding you back? Where, specifically, in your life do rejoice at God's presence?
If music is a pathway to God for you, you might want to listen to "Magnificat (All That I Am)" a lovely arrangement by David Haas based on Mary's song. The link will take you to YouTube where you will find a video with lyrics written and song clearly sung. I invite you to simply rest in its beauty as you listen. May we, with Mary, sing and pray and live these words, "All that I am sings of the God who brings new life to birth in me. My spirit soars on the wings of my Lord."
At the same time, I offer Mary's Song, "Her Remembered Me in Mercy" because I couldn't choose just one. As beautiful and truthful as the David Haas arrangement is, the depth of The Magnificat is deeper still. Mary's words are subversive and courageous as she faced an uncertain future. Dietrich Bonheoffer, German theologian who was executed by the Nazis said before his death, “The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings.…This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind.” I invite your to listen to this song alongside the scriptural text and remember just how strong Mary is as we move into next week's readings.
Prayer: Breathing “The Jesus Prayer”
Breathing in … Lord Jesus Christ
Breathing out … Have mercy
*pray by breathing this prayer repetitively until the prayer prays you. You’ll know the prayer is praying you when the words come to you at random times in random places. You will simply feel the words on your lips, in sync with your breathing. And you have begun the process of praying unceasingly through the power of the Holy Spirit! For more information about praying The Jesus Prayer, an ancient prayer form from the days of early Christian History, practiced by the Desert Mothers and Fathers, take this LINK ...
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