From the responsorial psalm: “God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:39-56)
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.”
In praying the Magnificat, Mary reveals profound theological and spiritual truths. Mary willingly submits to God’s will in response to his faithfulness and mercy and speaks of God’s preferential love for the poor. As a model of discipleship, Mary shows her deep understanding of God’s redemptive plan and her willingness to participate in it beside Jesus at every step and with complete trust in God’s mercy. As Saint Bede said, reflecting on the Magnificat: “When a man devotes all his thoughts to the praise and service of the Lord, he proclaims God’s greatness. His observance of God’s commands, moreover, shows that he has God’s power and greatness always at heart. His spirit rejoices in God his savior and delights in the mere recollection of his creator who gives him hope for eternal salvation.”
God, help me understand your greatness and mercy as Mary praises it in the Magnificat. As Elizabeth testifies to Mary’s faith in you, help me also trust in your promises. “Blessed are you who believed,” Elizabeth said, “that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” As Mother of the Redeemer and more than any other disciple, Mary suffered with Jesus in his passion and death and rejoiced in his victory over sin and death in the resurrection. Lord, among all the disciples and saints, who but Mary is all-holy and full of grace, leading us to Jesus? Help me trust in you, Lord, as we ask for Mary’s constant intercession: “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.