Third Week of Advent, Dec. 21, 2006

Scripture: Song of Songs 2:8-14. Zephaniah 3:14-18. Psalm
33:2-3,11-12,20-21. Luke 1:39-45.

Mary's meeting with Elizabeth is our meditation scene for today. Perhaps,
slowly saying the second joyful mystery with the intention of love for our
neighbor would be a good devotion to recall this scene during another
moment of prayer while walking or simply visiting a chapel or church. What
I was led to reflect upon was the thread of singing a new song. This seemed
to me to be the encouragement of all the readings which have opening words
leading us to sing or exhortations to shout out with joy in a song. These
inner songs may be more meaningful than the jazzed up carols that we hear
constantly on the radio--and which end abruptly without rhyme or reason on
Dec. 26! I thought of the readings as a prelude to Mary's song, the most
beautiful and powerful new song of the Mother of the Messiah. We call it
the Magnificat because it renders great glory to God and is the hymn of a
very courageous Jewish young woman. She sings it right after what is
happening in the meeting she has with Elizabeth, her kinswoman. They both
sing because they know that the precursor and the savior's birth are near.
Then turning to our opening reading from the Song of Songs we realize the
whole of this biblical poem is a series of popular songs of love that are
easily adapted to what both the Jewish people celebrate as God's love for
them and what for us is an expression of Mary's and the Church's love for
God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I liked the last verse, "Let
me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and you are
lovely." (Song 2:14). The alternate reading from Zephaniah also exhorts us
to sing, "Shout for joy, O Daughter Zion (symbolic for Mary as well as the
city of Jerusalem), Sing joyfully, O Israel." Psalm 33 has verses which
also are to be sung, "Cry out with joy to the Lord, you holy ones (that is
us!). Sing a new song to him." (Psalm 33:2).

Mary is travelling with haste through the hill country of Judea to visit
Elizabeth, her kinswoman, who is now six months pregnant. In the recent
film, "The Nativity Story", their meeting is a very powerful and emotional
scene of great womanly courage seen in their love of what is only possible
with God--the birth of a precursor and that of a Savior. Even the children
dance for joy in their mothers' bodies. Elizabeth praises Mary as being
blessed among all women because of her pristine trust in the Lord and in
her free and generous response to the call of God. The Magnificat follows
this scene and it is Mary's gift to us which we sing in so many different
melodies at our Evensong each day. It is a fitting way to close our prayer
this evening while recalling the beautiful and melodic readings of the day.
Even the film, "The Story of the Nativity" ended with Mary's great new hymn
praising and magnifying the Lord. Yes, the Lord is very near. Come, Lord
Jesus , Come! Maranatha. Amen.