And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. (Luke 1:46 NABRE)
Here, as part of the infancy narrative of Jesus' birth, begins the beautiful song of Mary, which we call the Magnificat and which continues through verse 55. Actually, it is likely that this familiar song was inserted here by the author because it reflects so well the themes found throughout Luke's gospel.* We just don't know. We do know, however, that it echos Hannah's song in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 as she dedicates her newborn son, Samuel, to the Lord. It also has references to Psalms, Isaiah and the New Testament letter to the Hebrews.
For both women, it is their statement of faith and trust in the Lord which is most important.
Having faith in God. Putting your trust in God. These are different than believing in God. Many people believe in some vague notion of "god" with all sorts of images and conceptions of what that means. But both Hannah and Mary sing to God because, at some point after learning about him, each decided to take the real risk of trusting him entirely to provide for her needs and to support her during the most important times in her life.
Believe! Have faith! Trust!
Today, I will refresh my trust in God's greatness, placing my life entirely in his hands.
Blessed Rafal Chylinski, whose life reminds us that "every one of us, even though we are sinners, has been called to love and to holiness," pray for us.
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