©2012 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today is another joyous day, "The Canticle of Mary" also known as "The Magnificat". This prayer is so moving, so powerful and so recognized by so many around the world. So today let us look at today's gospel Luke 1:46-56 (Mary's Song of Praise):
"And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever." And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home."
The Catechism of The Catholic Church also teaches us the following about this magnificent prayer:
The prayer of the Virgin Mary
2617 Mary's prayer is revealed to us at the dawning of the fullness of time. Before the incarnation of the Son of God, and before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, her prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father's plan of loving kindness: at the Annunciation, for Christ's conception; at Pentecost, for the formation of the Church, his Body. In the faith of his humble handmaid, the Gift of God found the acceptance he had awaited from the beginning of time. She whom the Almighty made "full of grace" responds by offering her whole being: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." "Fiat": this is Christian prayer: to be wholly God's, because he is wholly ours.
2618 The Gospel reveals to us how Mary prays and intercedes in faith. At Cana, the mother of Jesus asks her son for the needs of a wedding feast; this is the sign of another feast - that of the wedding of the Lamb where he gives his body and blood at the request of the Church, his Bride. It is at the hour of the New Covenant, at the foot of the cross, that Mary is heard as the Woman, the new Eve, the true "Mother of all the living."
2619 That is why the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat (Latin) or Megalynei (Byzantine) is the song both of the Mother of God and of the Church; the song of the Daughter of Zion and of the new People of God; the song of thanksgiving for the fullness of graces poured out in the economy of salvation and the song of the "poor" whose hope is met by the fulfillment of the promises made to our ancestors, "to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."
2622 The prayers of the Virgin Mary, in her Fiat and Magnificat, are characterized by the generous offering of her whole being in faith.
I pray that this joyful day of reading our Blessed Mother's Canticle and seeing it's teaching in The Catechism has been as exciting as it was and is for me to share it with all of you. I pray that you continue to enjoy this wonderful beautiful Christmas week.
“Jesus, I Trust in You.”
Your Brother in Christ Jesus
and His Most Precious Mother Mary,
Jimmy (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Also posted December 22, 2010 with slight variations.
and His Most Precious Mother Mary,
Jimmy (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Also posted December 22, 2010 with slight variations.
