And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowly state of His servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name; indeed, His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of His child Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise He made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Luke 1:46-55
“Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord. Christ has only one mother in the flesh, but we all bring forth Christ in faith. Every soul receives the Word of God if only it keeps chaste, remaining pure and free from sin, it’s modesty undefiled. The soul that succeeds in this proclaims the greatness of the Lord, just as Mary’s soul magnified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior.”
Ambrose of Milan (339-397) in Sermon 92 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 645.
I know one of the things I am getting for Christmas. I can’t wait to get it in my stocking. I am getting a 1000 lumen rechargeable flashlight.
What does this have to do with today’s post or our generosity? Hang with me. As I ponder the incarnation with the saints, I look at Mary.
Her soul magnifies the Lord. That means with all of her body and spirit she wanted to make the Lord bigger, to bring Him into the light so all could see Him.
She was an ordinary girl chosen by God to accomplish an extraordinary task. She set aside her plans for her life and embraced God’s mission for her.
She had to remain chaste, pure and free from sin, keeping her modesty undefiled, as Ambrose notes. She had to set herself apart for God’s purposes.
When we do this, we are like a 1000 lumen rechargeable light. When it is charging, it is like Mary, set apart for a purpose and remaining pure.
Then, when the time comes for it to do it’s job, it will shine. It will magnify whatever is shines on. That’s my prayer for each of us, to have souls and spirits like Mary.
You are on this round ball called “earth” for a purpose, to magnify the Lord. Use every ounce of your strength and every penny of your resources for that purpose.
And then set yourself apart to allow God to recharge you daily so you bring 1000 lumens to the dark corners and difficult places of the world.