My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
Mary allowed her blessings to overflow into thanksgiving. She was not content that Elizabeth stop at blessing her but led her onward so that they could both together marvel at the cosmic significance of that blessing. Yes, God had done great things for Mary, greater indeed that he had for any other creature. But even those blessings pointed toward his own holiness as their source.
From this day all generations will call me blessed
Mary prophetically understood that all generations would recognize her for her unique role in the story of salvation and would therefore call her blessed. But, ever the humble handmaid of the Lord, she wanted to ensure that he would always be at the center of any acknowledgment she herself received.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
Mary did not argue with Elizabeth when she called her the most blessed among women, agreeing with her when she said that all generations would call her blessed. And yet she did not seek to exult herself or to separate herself from others. Rather, her song went on to say that what she had experienced was in some sense available to everyone.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
All those who are humble can experience being lifted up by God. All those who are weak can experience his strong arm protecting them. Those who, by contrast, seek to exult themselves or their own might will eventually find themselves cast down when their strength eventually fails them. Mary experienced exultation in humility more perfectly than any other creature. Yet she was not meant to simply be an outlier, but rather an archetype or exemplar for all of us.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
What we need to understand about the Magnificat is that the world did not yet look the way Mary described it. It was an entirely sincere prayer of praise that she made from the very depths of her soul and spirit, from her whole being, but one which was possible only because of her faith. It was the grace she had been given, expressed in her fiat, that allowed her to receive and understand reality by faith, on God's terms, and not according to mere worldly appearance. It was this fiat faith that allowed her to remain rooted in the truth of God's promises even while the circumstances were still seemingly slow to catch up.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
We are meant to learn this art of thankfulness and faith that Hannah and Mary both teach us. We ourselves have already been so lifted up as to be "seated in heavenly places" (see Ephesians 2:6). But we don't always (or perhaps even often) view our circumstances from that perspective. We can do it, however, if we begin with a response of faith. Faith of this kind recognizes the profundity of the gift we have been given and makes us respond with our own songs of praise and thanksgiving. It is by this means that we keep our minds "set on things above" (see Colossians 3:2) and thereby correctly interpret the otherwise misleading circumstances of the things of earth.
When we live lives marked by faith and thanksgiving we will not be afraid to offer our blessings back to the Lord. We will then have such deep trust in God's providence that we will not hesitate to offer even the greatest of his gifts back to him.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.
How do we do this practically? Let us imitate Mary's fiat and accept God's will for us, and in doing so, decide to see things from his heavenly perspective. Let's allow the truth of that perspective, of the heavenly reality into which we are invited to participate, to overflow into songs of praise.
My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
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