- Micah 5:2-5a •
- Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7 •
- Hebrews 10:5-10 •
- Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)
The Visitation -- Jacopo da Pontormo (1494-1556) |
Mary has walked to a distant village to visit to her cousin
Elizabeth. It is from Elizabeth that she receives final confirmation of how
remarkable her position is: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb’. Like the Magnificat itself, these words have also become a
widely used and long established prayer in the worship of the Church. The Magnificat, which is unique to Luke’s Gospel, has been
said and sung innumerably many times over many centuries. This is powerful
testimony to its deep spiritual significance for Christian believers in every
time and place.
Roman ruins at Helopolis |
Such an unlikely scenario makes Mary’s words -- ‘From now on all generations will call me blessed’ -- seem absurd. The world in which she
lived was a man's world, dominated by one of the greatest, harshest, and most enduring empires in human
history. And yet, she was right. The Roman Empire has vanished so completely that only a few archeological
traces remain. In sharp contrast, at Christmas billions of people, will give thanks for Mary’s role in
their redemption. While Caesar and Herod are
literally ancient history, in every part of the world, people can be found calling Mary f ‘blessed’. What greater evidence could there be
that God has indeed ‘brought down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted
up the lowly’?
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