This weekend we celebrate the Assumption of Mary, so I’d like to look more at one of the best speeches in the Bible – Mary’s Magnificat. There are so many good messages in what she says. If we also ponder her Magnificat in our hearts, we will find her message applicable to our own lives as well.
“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.” Our souls do long to be in union with God. When we watch a really great show or read a great book, we feel like telling everyone we meet how good it was. Our soul knows the greatness of God and desires to spread the good news of God throughout the world. God has looked with favor not only on Mary, but on all of us. We could have been called just servants of God, but God now calls us His sons and daughters. He constantly forgives us our sins and invites us to share heaven with Him for all eternity. He has truly looked with favor on us.
“From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is His Name.” Mary was the ultimate tabernacle of Jesus. She carried Him in her womb, took care of Him, and protected Him. Someone can’t spend the amount of time Mary did with Jesus and have sacrificed as much as she did and not be called blessed. We are also blessed for all of the great things Jesus has done for us. He died for our sins, allowing us to enter into His kingdom. Jesus came into the world as a vulnerable human, but He stayed strong and didn’t give into the temptation of Satan. There will always be power behind His name.
“He has mercy on those who fear Him in every generation.” Fear of the Lord is more about respecting Him and having a sense of awe towards Him. He is and will always be more powerful than we can imagine. When we show Him the respect He deserves, He will show us mercy. When we test Him and belittle Him, then we may be on our own in our time of need.
“He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.” Jesus conquered death and has put every foe under Him. The proud, rich, and powerful people don’t impress Him, but a humble person will gain His attention.
“He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” The poor person doesn’t have much and is more likely to turn to God in need where the rich tend to rely on their own resources to solve their problems. When we learn to turn to God in our need, we will gain great spiritual wealth. When we don’t need any help or try to solve everything on our own, we don’t gain any spiritual gifts.
“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 forever.” Although we may not always keep our promises, God always remembers and keeps His promises. We are the bride of Christ and Jesus is the groom. Jesus promised to be with us and love us. We should be able to return the same promise to Him.
We look to the Saints to give us inspiration on getting to heaven. Mary is the ultimate Saint to look up to. She always points the way to her son Jesus. When we look to her for guidance, we can’t help but find our way to heaven.
