Dec. 22. Lectionary 199

Scripture: Lectionary 199. I Samuel 1:24-28. ISamuel 2: 1.5-5.6-7.8. Luke
1:46-56 (Mary's Magnificat):

While you carefully listen or read the selections from I Samuel (the first
reading and then the Psalm response), do you think that St. Luke our
Evangelist for today, took his inspiration from the song that Anna the
mother of Samuel sang? There are many similar thoughts and parallels
withing the songs and yet there is a marked difference in the tone and
expression voiced in Mary's Magnificat that rings true to the portrait of
Mary that Luke develops throughout chapter one and two of his Gospel. St.
Luke is not only an evangelist, he is also a master-craftsmen with words in
the language that he was so familiar with, the Greek Koine or common Greek
of the first century. Greek was his first language and he is the first
Gentile among the four evangelists. Though he knew the Greek Old Testment
called the Septuagint, he also probably knew Hebrew and may have read I
Samuel in its original language as well as followed the Greek of the
Septuagint for this portion of Samuel. Some say he had been a proselyte to
Judaism before becoming a Christian. St. Luke is also a theologian who
directs his work as an omniscient author who knows his story throughout his
twenty-four chapters of his Gospel. His portrait of Mary is consistent
throughout and the Magnificat is the jewel, the diamond, that flashes with
brilliance all of this story about Mary.

See whether you can from the contexts of both Anna and Mary discover where
Luke is really showing us that Mary is singing something different than
Anna. There is not the discouragement that Anna had experienced in not
having a child, a son. Mary does not sing from such a background, rather
the son is given and will rest within her for nine months. She sings about
the greatness of God with absolute confidence as total self-giving in this
song. We sense it as coming from the depths of her soul and heart in its
beautiful expression of love for God and for her Savior (Jeshu'ah).

We are helped by our own additions to this hymn of Mary which we call the O
Antiphons. Each one precedes the singing of the Magnificat at Even-Song
(Vespers). On this Advent day we sing the following O Antiphon:
O King of all the nations, the only joy of every heart; O Keystone of the
mighty arch of humankind, come and save the creature you fashioned from
the dust." Though the antiphon is based on Isaiah 9:5 and 2:4, we easily
see some of the melodies of Mary's hymn within it. She is rejoicing in the
Savior (Jesus) and it is her humility (tapenosis) which is her
self-emptying totally to the greatness of God who is exalting her through
this gift of self. She experiences the joy of every human heart which is
made in the image and likeness of God. Creature and Creator harmonize in
her. We are capable of joining with her as we sing "My soul magnifies the
Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Amen.