Mary’s Magnificat remains the most complete encouragement to the essential virtues of Christian life. Poverty, humility, lowliness, fear of the Lord, servitude, etc. are so difficult for our pride to accept as the way to salvation. Mary not only exemplifies these qualities, she also bears witness to the satisfaction, peace, and joy that we may experience already in this life by living as true Christians. Mary doesn’t take on any of these attitudes because of a lack of self-confidence or out of self-hatred. She doesn’t take them on ostensibly as a form of penance for her own failures – she has none – or the failures of others. Mary’s magnificat is a hymn of wisdom that praises the proximity of God, and the conditions and attitudes that benefit fully from His nearness. Spiritually, Mary speaks as the daughter of an All-Powerful Divine Father. Her greatness is simply God reflected in the purity of her heart – she does not need any greatness of her own making.
Immaculate Conception
BEDE:
Now Gabriel means “strength of God.” Rightly he shone forth with such a name, since by his testimony he bore witness to the coming birth of God in the flesh. The prophet said this in the psalm, “The Lord strong and powerful, the Lord powerful in battle”—that battle, undoubtedly, in which he [Christ] came to fight “the powers of the air” and to snatch the world from their tyranny.
Truly full of grace was she to whom it was granted to give birth to Jesus Christ, the very one through whom grace and truth came. And so the Lord was truly with her whom he first raised up from earthly to heavenly desires, in an unheard of love of chastity, and afterwards sanctified, by means of his human nature, with all the fullness of his divinity. Truly blessed among women was she who without precedent in the womanly state rejoiced in having the honor of parenthood along with the beauty of virginity, inasmuch as it was fitting that a virgin mother bring forth God the Son.
Thursday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
It is so easy to create two categories of people: good and bad. The book of Revelation does it in today’s reading, the entire Old Testament is devoted to helping us understand through guilt, shame, and punishment that sin makes us bad. We can examine our lives in front of the Ten Commandments, and probably, most of the time, be thankful we haven’t done anything gravely wrong. Jesus steps into the picture and teaches us that a mere unguarded glance is the same thing – spiritually – as adultery. He teaches us that the bitter feelings and resentment we agree with are the same thing – spiritually – as murder. He teaches us that our desire to appear good to others is vanity and pride. If you can console yourself while reading the book of Revelation by thinking, “Whew, I’m glad I’m one of the good guys” – how are you any different from the Pharisees? If you truly think you can stand serenely before the judgment seat of God because you are “one of the good guys,” I still hope that God will have mercy on you.