Luke 1:46-56 NRSVue

⁴⁶And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; ⁵⁰indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁵²He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

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Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
With Mary, I count my blessings, not as a matter of pride or achievement, but to recognise where God is at work in my life.

Reflection
Pride and humility are in the picture as Mary prays her Magnificat. Mary rejoices in being a blessed, lowly servant. I think of how this description relates to how I am now. 

Reflection
As the Mother of God moves towards the birth of her son these are her sentiments.

Reflection
Can I slowly pray over her words and ask for the grace to share in the vision?

Reflection
Mary’s /Magnificat/ is a prayer to savour. It echoes the song of Hannah in I Samuel 2,1. It places us at the cusp of the Old and New Testaments, charged with the longing of the Old, and savouring the fulfilment of the New. In the whole history of salvation, this is the moment of unalloyed joy. Mary is pregnant not merely with her child, but with dreams about a glorious future. A young mother overflows with gratitude for being the channel of God’s grace to humankind.

Reflection
Did you ever write your own Magnificat? In prayer you could notice the reasons you want to praise God. The simplest of meetings with another can be manifestations of the divine. The simplest of winter or summer creation can touch us with the nearness of God. Emmanuel, God is with us, is the mantra of these days. Emmanuel is everywhere. All is a sacrament of God. Praise is a natural response to God; it wells up from the hidden depths of our hearts. Praise and thanks go hand in hand; praise for what is great, thanks for what is ordinary.