Sacred Scripture
Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon 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. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.” Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.( Luke 1:46-56)
Reflection
The Gospel of Luke reveals the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s life. When Elizabeth and Mary greeted one another, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promise to give a Savior.
John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit fills us with the joy and hope of heaven.
The great hymn (The Magnificat) that Mary sings speaks to the presence of the Holy Spirt within her. Within its verses lies a lesion for each of us.
God created us wonderfully from the dust at the beginning but the way he has “reformed” us is even more remarkable, taking on our humanity so that we may become sharers in his divinity. He blew into us at the beginning of time the spirit that brought us to life; now he breathes on us the power of the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22), so that we may experience his own divine life inside of us.
If we were to grasp this reality, we’d never be able to stop singing a Magnificat! He gives us himself so that we can proclaim his greatness and rejoice in him. He has looked on us in our humility and exalted us to his own glory — indeed all generations in heaven will never be able to cease describing how blessed we are!
How blessed we are when we recognize that each of us is called to relive Mary’s maternity by becoming a “mother of Christ” through conceiving (hearing) and bearing (putting it into practice) Jesus, the Word of God.
Or are we too sterile? Too jaded by the world. Too worn out to believe that by hearing His word we can be impregnated by its message and by living the Word we bring Him to life in all those whom we meet.
The days grow short by the time we celebrate the birth of our life time. We need to relive the mystery of Mary’s longing for Christ. We need to allow that mystery to create in us a longing for a fulfillment of God’s promises, a longing for the Messiah, a longing essentially for God.
Even though we were once just dust, just matter, God has exalted us for a purpose. That purpose is to bring His son to or earth.
Will you accept the challenge?
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, help me to earnestly seek you with humility and confidence. Increase my faith in your promises, strengthen within me the hope of heaven and eternal life, and set my heart on fire with burning love for you and for your kingdom. May I always praise and magnify your great mercy and glory.”
Daily Note
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. We are asked to bring the power of the Holy Spirit to all we meet,
