Third Sunday in Advent
Mary’s Song, known as the Magnificat and it is offered as the Psalm in our Lectionary. Swelling with new life by the power of the Spirit, and affirmed by her kinswoman, Mary sings the Magnificat, a hymn of praise joyfully proclaiming God’s grace-filled, compassion and mercy at the advent or birthing, the beginning of the messianic age.
This is the longest passage on the lips of any female speaker in the New Testament. This is a conversation between God and woman, with no men, no patriarchs present. Mary is thoughtful, wondering and confident with God, as God is with her as unfortunately, we do not get to hear the words of other women included in the biblical texts. The rhythms of this hymn stand in righteous criticism against such scriptural silencing of ‘the lowly’. Luke has silenced the voice of Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and others like the other writers; however, in Mary’s song, we hear the unending protest against the suppression of women’s voices and the brightest of sparks for their prophetic speech. Following the logic of Mary’s song, her words sung out into the universe in praise of God’s invitation to her personally, who can dare to tell women they cannot speak!
Mary’s song follows in the long tradition of female singers, Miriam with her tambourine (Exodus 15:2-21), Deborah (Judges 5:1-31), Hannah (1 Sam.2:1-10) and Judith (Jdt. 16:1-17) who also sing dangerous songs of salvation. They are psalms of thanksgiving, victory songs of the oppressed. The form and phrases of the Magnificat are explicitly modelled on Hannah’s song in the book of Samuel. Both women are exulting in the Lord, rejoicing and joyful! They have seen and experienced the mercy of God, who graciously chooses to be in solidarity with those who suffer and who are of no account in order to heal, redeem and liberate.
We see and hear in Mary’s song, the long tradition of praising God with deep personal love as our lives are changed when we walk in God’s Way, and in so doing, we proclaim God’s justice – love for God and love for neighbour in Gospel terms, and spirituality and social justice according to the prophets. We are celebrating God’s liberation, as Mary sings of salvation. We are rejoicing.
What does it mean to rejoice in God our Saviour? It is not a superficial joy, but written against the world’s pain. It is messianic joy, paschal joy, as God is aware of our struggles to death, while we remain hopeful God’s presence leads to life. In the midst of suffering and turmoil a sense of God’s presence leads to compassionate care, strength and a knowing about God’s greatness and love. This is not a half-hearted, gentle hymn. This is a woman who knows God loves her, who has spoken with God, who knows God can only do what is being done together with her and through her. Mary, with God, is changing the world forever. She is caught up in joy. We sing and dance with her.
Mary’s song is also the prayer of a poor woman. Her reference to lowliness describes the common experience of pain, misery, persecution and oppression. This is not another word for humility, but is based on her social position, of being young, female, belonging to a people oppressed and subjected to economic exploitation by the rich and powerful, afflicted by violence as people resist, and she has no value according to the world. Yet it is precisely to this woman God has turned to be the mother of God’s Son, to mother the Messiah, because God has regarded her. This is a deliberate choice by God. It is meant!
God’s reign will and does disturb the order of the world and the world’s peace, a world run by the arrogant, the hard of heart, the oppressors and tyrants. Through God’s action, the social hierarchy of wealth and poverty, power and subjugation, is to be turned upside down. The proud will be scattered, the mighty pulled from their thrones, the lowly will be exalted, and mercy in the form of food will fill the bellies of the hungry. All will be well because God’s mercy, pledged in covenantal love, is faithful through each generation. This is the prayer of the anawim, the poor ones. Let us remember there was real poverty among those who were the members of the early church, after the resurrection. This song has real economic and political resonance, for those who are listening. This is a revolutionary song of salvation and it must never be blunted in its message. As the people were and continue to be crushed, a new social order of justice and plenty is at hand.
This message will not appeal to those who are satisfied with the way things are. It will be ignored by those who seek to restore some past history and tradition of culture and religion. Even affluent people of good will have difficulty of dealing with this song of revolution and the promised shock to the world’s systems of justice and power.
God does love everyone. But, in an unjust world, the form of this universal love differs according to circumstances. This song reveals the divine love is particularly on the side of those whose dignity must be recovered. God protects the poor, sees their tears, and challenges the proud to conversation, to genuine discipleship even at the loss of their own comfort. God is not interested in revenge, and thereby creating a new order of social injustice, but to build up a community of sisters and brothers marked by human dignity and mutual regard. Only then is the coming reign of God rendered genuinely historical. By allowing our own lives to be integrated into the pattern of their dreams and expectations, by living out our own solidarity with the victims, we too can make ourselves vulnerable to the power of the future. Rather than make legitimate or ignore the circumstances of the poor and afflicted, those who are affluent need to dream with the poor, the dream of God’s future that their suffering opens up and so be transformed themselves. For both poor and affluent, Mary’s song, known as the Magnificat describes that dream.
Jesus points to the words of his mother being made real, as he tells his cousin, the prophet, John the Baptist, ‘to see what he is doing, the blind are receiving their sight, the lame are walking, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them – and blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’ (Matthew 11:4-6)
We see Mary as a prophet of the poor and marginalised. She may have been ignored and silenced even in recent times when tyrants fear for their power, but her song rings true. Her voice echoes through the universe and we too can shout for joy, as we rejoice with her in her thoughtful answer, a resounding yes, throughout all generations.
The Lord be with you.
Reference: Johnson, E.A. 2004. Dangerous Memories. A Mosaic of Mary in Scripture. Continuum, New York, London.