I remember as a kid (and, truth be told, until not too many
years ago), the big Christmas question was: “What did I get?” The better advent
question is: “What do I lack”? Advent is the time for discovering our true
lowliness and poverty (not to invent it through self-deprecation or
self-hatred) so that God may fill us. It is only in admitting our lowliness
that we can be truly lifted up to Him. It is only in admitting emptiness that
we ourselves can become the manger where our Lord, revealed in this time of
Advent as a child, will come and fill us.
“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.” Luke 1:46-49
The Magnificat of Mary reveals the joy in the heart of the
Mother of God. She humbly acknowledges
the great things God has done for her and expresses her deepest joy.
It’s interesting to note that both her “soul” and her
“spirit” are mentioned in this song of praise.
Her soul “proclaims” and her spirit “rejoices.”
As I reflect on this, I think it reveals both an action of
her own and an action of God. Our
Blessed Mother’s “soul” refers to all her human abilities within her mind,
will, emotions and desires. It’s what
makes her human. And with those human
capacities she proclaims God’s greatness.
In other words, with her mind she perceives God’s greatness, with her
will she acknowledges and chooses to proclaim His greatness, and she does so
with all her feelings, emotions and desires.
Her whole being was consumed with the greatness of God!
It also reveals that within her “spirit,” she was filled
with the glorious gift of joy. As she
proclaimed the greatness of God, the Holy Spirit flooded her and produced this
spiritual fruit. Joy comes from God
actively working within our lives. It’s
a fruit of the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother had this gift in its
fullness.
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