{I’ll be taking a bit of a blogging break to celebrate Christmas and winter vacation with my family. All will be quiet here from December 25-January 6, so the Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday link-up will return on Monday, January 7, 2013. From my heart, wishing you and your loved ones a most blessed Christmas and New Year!!}
Photo credit: Emily Wierenga
I’ve always read the Magnificat as a song solely about Mary and her role as the mother of Jesus. It’s easy for me to read this passage and assume, “This doesn’t apply to me. This is about Mary and her relationship with Jesus and God.” It’s easy to distance myself, to think, “Oh, aren’t those lovely verses…” and assume they apply to someone else.
My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit
rejoices in God my savior, for he has been
mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me
blessed, for the Mighty One has done great
things for me – Holy is his name. (Luke 1: 46-49).
But the message inherent in Mary’s prayer of thanks is that God blesses all of us. His mercy extends to all of us, and he has done great things for all of us. And because of this we are all equally responsible for fulfilling his mission.
It’s no coincidence that the verses refer to the humble, hungry and poor. In Mary’s praises, God is portrayed as a champion of the downtrodden and oppressed. The implication, the expectation, is that we are to champion the needy, too.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. (52-53)
Sure, Mary physically bears the Son of God, but each of us is responsible for bearing Jesus through this world as well. We each carry a piece of Jesus within us. And just as Mary literally carries Jesus in her pregnancy, we are expected to carry out his mission, to lift up the poor and the oppressed, just as he does.
In addition to a song of praise and thanksgiving, the Magnificat is a call to action. How will you use your God-given gifts to impact others? How are you carrying Jesus through this world?
Mary may have carried Jesus physically within her body, but we carry him in our hearts.
Mary was called to carry Jesus; how are you carrying Jesus in this world?
edited post from the archives
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