Magnificat

"Annunciation" by Donatello - c. 1435 - Gilded pietra serena, Santa Croce, Florence

Mary’s Song of Praise

And Mary* said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

The rector used the quote below in his Sunday sermon, and that put me in mind of the magnificent Magnificat.

"Here we have a passage which has become one of the great hymns of the Church - the Magnificat. It is steeped in the Old Testament and is closely related to Hannah's song of praise in 1Samuel 2:1-10. It has been said that religion is the opiate of the people; but it has also been said that the Magnificat is the most revolutionary document in the world.

....

He scatters the proud in the plans of their hearts. That is a moral revolution. Christianity is the death of pride. Why? Because if people set their lives beside that of Christ, it tears away the last vestiges of their pride."

The Gospel of Luke by William Barclay

And a modest offering from me - an O Antiphon of sorts.

O Blessed One

Mother of God, O holy one,
Inside your body, the Word made flesh,
As an infant, suckled at your breast.
The God-child, cared for gently, lovingly,
Grew in wisdom and in grace.

Mother of God, what did you know?
Were you sad? Were you fearful?
Midst the joy of family life,
Did you feel a piercing in your heart?
O blessed Mary, pray for us, sinners all.

Grandmère Mimi - 7/17/07


Image from the Web Gallery of art.