My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
The Magnificat provides great material for meditation on the Visitation, the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, pictured above. When the angel Gabriel informs Mary that she is to be the Mother of God, he also tells her of her Cousin Elizabeths pregnancy with John the Baptist.
After Mary gives her famous consent to becoming the Mother of God, -- Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word (Luke 1:38) -- she goes with haste (1:39) to help Elizabeth, who is delighted to see her. Our Lady then expresses her joy in the Magnificat.
Clearly Mary, in hastening to help her cousin, is focused on service to others. In this way she glorifies the Lord in reflecting (and magnifying) His goodness and love. And, of course by becoming the Mother of God she will help Him redeem us for our salvation in His Passion!
Speaking of magnifying, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once referred to our Blessed Mother as being like a magnifying glass that intensifies our love of her Son.
Note that Marys joyful claim that all generations shall call me blessed in no way takes away from her humility. If she seems to boast here, it is much as St. Paul does later on in scripture when he says whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord (2 Cor 10:17), that is to say, in Gods work being done through us.
A beautiful Thread thank you,
Love and kindest wishes your Sister in Jesus Christ our Saviour