The Gospel of Luke 1:46-55: The Song of Mary
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on 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. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, * He has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spiri t: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Let us pray The Collect for The Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin: O God, you have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In the opening words of this Gospel, Mary proclaims the goodness and greatness of God. Despite the highly unusual circumstances of her call to be the mother of Jesus, Mary rejoices and proclaims that God has looked upon her with great favor.
This Gospel from Luke is one that is very familiar to us. It is the story of Mary’s Annunciation when the angel appeared to her and revealed to her that she would conceive and bear a Son. Mary’s immediate and heartfelt response to God’s call makes it clear that Mary had a deep, personal relationship with God. She must have been somewhat confused by this call, yet Mary trusted the God who called her. Mary believed that God would guide her and grace her. While Mary was very young when God called her, she had a depth of faith and trust in God. And as Mary and us at times, we see Jesus and life also presents us with difficult or painful situations that may stir up a storm of emotion in us. How do we respond? Do we get angry, fearful, or anxious? Do we distance ourselves from God? Do we gradually come to believe that God is with us? Do we trust that God will guide and grace us? Remember the words of the Angel Gabriel “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. We have a wonderful model in Mary. Like Mary, we need to keep ourselves grounded in the God we know, trust and love. If we do this, then we may believe and trust that we will receive the grace and strength we need. This will bring us peace. God will bring us peace! May the Peace of the Lord be with you.
Reflections by Bob 