Counting the Days: December 22, 2023
Sheila Ebri, M.B.A.
Transfer Student Services Specialist
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. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant, Israel. in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors to Abraham and to his descendants forever.’ And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.
Reflection
The Magnificat is a unique proclamation by the Virgin Mary when she visited her pregnant cousin Elizabeth who acknowledged the blessed nature of Mary carrying the Divine Child. It shows the perfect act of humility and of profound adoration. She expresses her gratitude to God, for choosing a lowly servant like herself to carry our Savior. Many times, in our lives, we seldom praise God for the many graces that He grants us.
We must remember that we were created by God’s love, which is why He willed our souls into existence. As the Creator, God can withdraw this will and then we become nothing. God’s mercy for us is from generation to generation. God loves us and wants us to keep trying to focus on doing good and not focus on our sins after we have confessed them.
We see the comparison of the proud and humble and we recognize these as the theme in most of the gospels in Jesus’ teachings. This sounds like Jesus talking through his mother Mary. This should make us think about Eternity in heaven. Even though the proud on earth are exalted daily, the kingdom of God is different, and we must be cognizant of that and remain humble.
Finally, Mary shows us that God is faithful to His own. He made a covenant with Abraham that he has kept to this day. We have a reassurance in this song that God will never abandon us if we remain faithful. Mary’s song encourages us to step back from all the noise in the Advent season, reflect, and show gratitude to Him for all that we are and have. God wants us to show humility by serving others as a reflection of HIS kingdom.