Today,
just a few days before our Christmas celebration, our readings prepare us for
the true meaning of Christmas at a time when many of us are probably
preoccupied with many other things, such as buying gifts, decorating our homes,
or performing the duties and responsibilities of our busy modern lives.
Mary’s
song of the Magnificat is filled with extraordinary proclamations about God and
a remarkable strength of belief. Sister
Elizabeth Johnson of Fordham University remarks that “Mary’s Magnificat …shows
a woman whose consciousness is deeply rooted in the heritage and wisdom of the
strong women of Israel. Knowledge about
the liberating traditions of her own people, (the Virgin Mary), this friend of
God, stands (out) as a prophet.”
One
prophetic woman of Israel who is part of this liberating tradition is Hannah in
our first reading. Hannah brings her
young son, Samuel, to the Temple in order to dedicate him to God and to leave
him there under the tutelage of Eli.
Hannah does this to fulfill her promise to God for answering her prayers
and giving her a son. Hannah is one of
many Jewish women in the Scriptures and traditions that Mary is aware of as she
joyfully sings the Magnificat.
What
do Mary, Hannah, & Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, have to say to us in these
final days of Advent? Perhaps they are
asking us to discover the true meaning of this season in the midst of our busy
secular world. As God manifested himself
in the humble manger in Bethlehem in the form of the baby Jesus, he reminds us
that in our modern world, God's real presence is still among us, a presence we
encounter in many ways in our lives, reminding us how much we are loved by God
just as we are. The Magnificat reminds
us that God loves us, that he desires us to express this love to him and to
others as we live out our daily lives of faith. God touches us through others. Likewise, God touches others through our
presence to them just as Mary brought God to her cousin Elizabeth through her
presence and through her words.
Today,
echoing the meaning of Christmas and the words of joy sung by Mary, may we pray
that we will open our eyes, hearts, and hands to the stirrings of God in our
lives, especially in the ways he comes to us during Advent and Christmas.
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