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It is well said that had Mary sung her song today, she would be a political rebel – and indeed, then, she was as well. The Magnificat is a beautiful reminder of the hope of God expressed, I would hope in all seasons, but more especially so this one.
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
(Luke 1:46-55 KJV)
Scholasticially, Mary is combining Deuteronomistic promises, the hope of the (Psalms of) Solomonic Messiah, with the valiant women heroines of the bible. Shucks, even theologically she is doing that! I tend to think that whereas Protestants believe that the Catholics have so overblown the adoration of Mary, they have in turn generally committed the same error but in reverse. She was the first church, after all, and the first evangelist.
Related articles
- Reflections From the Saints: Mary, the Mother of God, on what He has done for her (trustinjesus.wordpress.com)
- Advent IX: Somebody’s out to get me (cruciality.wordpress.com)
- Our Lady’s Magnificat: (deaconjohn1987.wordpress.com)
- The Magnificat is a Bold Prayer! (adw.org)
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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