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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 for ever.’ (Luke 1:46b-55)
The recommended psalm for this Sunday comes not from the Book of Psalms, but from the Gospel of Luke. This declaration is from the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary. Believed to be a preteen or very young teenager, she was selected by God to bear His Son. At first, fear and nervousness took hold of Mary for she was not yet married to Joseph and wondered about all that would be involved in such a birth. The angel Gabriel told her that her cousin Elizabeth, whom many believed would never bear children, was pregnant as well, and it was during a visit Mary took to see for herself this wonderful state of Elizabeth that she responded with this psalm. Elizabeth told Mary, "As soon as I heard the sound of your getting, 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."
So, from confusion to declaration, Mary declares what she has felt from God; Her soul has made great the presence and power of the Lord and her spirit was full of joy in God, whom she now knew as Savior; He who could bring us into a right relationship with all people who sought Him. Mary recognized that God had looked beyond what she considered a lower state among other women, but still chose her. She knew that birth would be a blessing to coming generations and those would look with favor on her and what she did; many have called her blessed. God's name is holy, and God has done great things; among those many, showing mercy to those who fear Him. God's strength is mighty and never-ending. And God's reckoning brings about changes: The proud have been scattered in their own thoughts; The powerful have lost their power; and the lowly have been lifted up. The hungry have eaten and from good things; and the rich sent away with nothing. Such was that which the Spirit revealed to Mary that her Son would do in the years to come. God had not forgotten Israel, nor Abraham or Abraham's descendants.
Mary could have very easily chosen to abuse this new status of hers; but her character was to be obedient and faithful to the Lord God. She chose to serve the Almighty even in her humble state. Her first reaction was to praise God in a mighty way that lifted high God's name and status in her heart. How is it with us? As we receive blessings from God do we say, "I deserved that and that proves I'm something special above others?" Or, do we follow Mary's lead and magnify the Lord?
The world desperately needs to see more people magnifying God than themselves. I chose to turn off television news because it has become a circus of too many chasing themselves and their lot instead of doing for others, in this country and others. I shared a couple of days ago, letters from underprivileged children in the Valley where children asked for the most basic of things and some asked not for themselves but for their brothers or sisters, and I thank God people in the area responded by adopting families for Christmas. Last night my son-in-law Jorge Garcia, shared how in his school went to the office while he was there and he heard a little girl ask if she could call her mom. He heard the little girl say, "We have food! And blankets and other presents!" The mother arrived ten minutes later and everyone was crying. Jorge also has an autistic child in his class and he came in with a big box wrapped as a Christmas gift and he would not put it down. He had asked for a new backpack and a jacket.
PRAYER: Loving Father, help me to magnify You. Great is Your Name and all You have done for me. Bless me in ways that bless others. Let me look not for my own concerns but for those which will truly make great Your name throughout the world. Christmas becomes real when we look to You instead of only us. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to magnify the Lord in your soul, and it will immediately fill up with joy!
Eradio Valverde
