Today’s Gospel speaks to us again about one of the most powerful prayers of all time, The Magnificat of Mary. It is about a moral revolution.
He scatters the proud in the plans of their heart. That is a moral revolution. It is the death of pride. If we compare our lives to the life of Jesus, it can do nothing but make us humble. Christ enables us to see ourselves as we are; helps us to take an honest look at ourselves.
He casts down the mighty, he exalts the humble. That is a social revolution. Christianity puts an end to the world’s labels and prestige. Mauretus was a wandering scholar in the Middle Ages. He was poor. He became sick in an Italian town and was taken to a hospital. The doctors were discussing his case in Latin. At one point they referred to him as worthless. He looked up and answered them in Latin, “Call no man worthless for whom Christ died.”
When we realize Christ died for all men, distinctions of wealth, race, personal beliefs, and cultural differences, no longer become excuses for labeling.
He has filled the hungry; those who are rich he has sent away. This is an economic revolution. The non-Christian society is a society where each person is out for themselves amassing as much wealth as possible. A Christian society is a society where no person dares to have too much while others have too little.
In my homily to the children on this gospel two weeks ago, I spoke of this powerful speaking of how Jesus turns things upside down. And indeed, he does. Sometimes turning something upside can make life more challenging, but sometimes it’s necessary.
Image: “Upside down” by hedera.baltica is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.