Today’s gospel is Mary’s prayer immediately following her encounter with her cousin Elizabeth in a scene known as the Visitation. It is part of a larger prayer known as the Magnificat and forms part of every evening prayer in the Church’s Divine Office. Mary’s prayer in today’s reading is about something much bigger than herself. When she thanks God for the things he has done for her, she remembers at the same time the things he has done for generations before her.
“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 forever.” (Luke 1:54-55)
It is a witness to the faithfulness of God expressed from the very beginning in Garden of Eden, that even when we had sinned, God promised to give us a means of redemption (Gen 3:15) in a verse known as the proto-Evangelium: the first utterance of the good news of salvation. Mary reminds us that even in these days when the joy of Christmas is overshadowed by news from man-made tragedies (Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza) and natural disasters (floods, tornados, drought, and more), God’s promise of mercy is there for us.
Mary also reminds us that God’s heart is close to those the world might least expect. While the powerful seem to thrive on earth, Mary has insistent faith that God has a preference for the poor and the weary. And her prayer does not simply suggest that suffering will make for an eventual reward in heaven; her strong language about casting down the powerful suggests that God’s power will bring justice to the oppressed not just after death but also in the here and now.
Maybe this was a particularly challenging year and our faith might be shaken. We have lost loved ones, lost livelihoods, seen our brothers and sisters hurt and oppressed. Maybe we can’t rely on our support systems in the same way we have in the past. We each have our own sorrows and joys.
In her prayer, Mary speaks as a poor young girl who has the responsibility of the whole world on her shoulders, whose reputation has been compromised, who can find no one else who can relate to her situation. But Mary knows the greatness that is on the horizon for her. As she sees it, God has done it before. She reminds us that, for us, he will do it again.
Image credit: The Visitation, c.1410; Wool, Linen, Silk; Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt Public Domain