In today’s Gospel we hear Mary’s great song of praise, the Magnificat. The title is taken from the opening Latin words of this hymn: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (magnificat anima mea Dominum).
Like Mary you and I are also called to give glory and praise to God. God has “visited” each one of us and showered down His grace and His love on us. All God asks in return is that we accept this gift of grace and live as grace-filled and compassionate people.
Like Mary we are all “lowly servants” of God through whom God has chosen to do great things. To be a lowly servant and to fear the Lord does not mean to live in cowering fear of a vindictive God. Just the opposite. God is rich in mercy and full of love for us His creatures, created in His own image and likeness. To “fear God” means to stand in awe and wonder before God; not conceited in our own achievements but recognizing that we depend upon God for our “daily bread” since in God we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Today let us join Mary in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord!