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In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." (Luke 1:39-55)
For our grandson Caleb Eradio's birthday, we got him a microscope. He is a boy fascinated with science and having never had one, was amazed by what he could see with this new gift. He saw brine shrimp that came with the set, and he said he should feed those to his lizards. His mom explained the state they were in and probably would not be good food for his lizards. His mom also said they could see other microscopic things, including a human specimen, to which he replied, "Who would want to stick that thing in their mouth??"
Making seen the unseen is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit in us making seen the presence and power of the Lord Jesus to others as we see in this passage. Mary, fresh from hearing news of her own pregnancy, rushes to see her cousin Elizabeth, whom she heard was also expecting a child. Upon entering the room and extending her greeting to Elizabeth, "the child leaped in her womb." Elizabeth was then filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed that Mary was blessed among women and blessed was the fruit of her womb, to which Mary replies with what is known as The Magnificat, a desire to make known what God had done in her. Her praise included the words, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant." She goes on to list that which God had and would do for all of His people; truly an Advent message of the coming of the Christ child.
We read that list and we must ponder where in the list we find ourselves? Are we among the proud, guilty of self-grandiose thoughts? We are about to be scattered! Or are we among the powerful? We might be brought down! But if we are among the lowly, the hungry; God came for us! Christ came to lift up the lowly and to feed the hungry - our lives should now do as Mary did, magnify the Lord!
Let us live our lives today and all days, in ways that bring the unseen into the visible, especially the things that God has done, and is doing for each of us.
PRAYER: Let it be so in my life, loving God, that I may truly and wonderfully magnify You. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
