From our Curate
One of the most beautiful songs of praise in the Bible is the Magnificat, the Song of Mary.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; he has looked with favour on his lowly servant…” There we can find Mary’s total trust in God, gratitude, joy, humility, and hope, all of those we need in our faith journey. Probably, that is why the Church includes this song in the evening prayer.
Interestingly, this song was sung in response to Elizabeth’s greeting, not at the Annunciation of the Lord. After Mary was conceived by the Sprit, she went to see her aged cousin who was near to give a birth to John the Baptist. If we do a little bit of math, the Angel announced to Mary on March 25th, and the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth was May 31st, and the nativity of John the Baptist is June 24th. Since Mary stayed with her about three months, she must have been there to take care of her cousin Elizabeth.
But neither of the pregnancies was ordinary. Both were initiated by God’s providence, one was too old and infertile, the other was a virgin. Now we just read the passages as the third person with little emotional engagement, but we can easily imagine how they were at a loss experiencing something unexplainable and unknown.
In spite of what she herself was going through, Mary, instead of burying herself with worries or questions, went to help her cousin’s labour. Elizabeth also, instead of being occupied with her own emotional ups and down around her own pregnancy, paid attention to Mary and Jesus in her womb. They acknowledged God’s work in the other, and through their acknowledgement, finally the mystery of God that was sown in their own personal lives has come to be in full bloom to begin a new story. And Mary’s song was breathed into the world only then.
I think it is not that much different for our spiritual journey. Certainly, God speaks to us as individuals. Sometimes we feel inspired and enlightened with good thoughts, wishes, aspirations. However, these are not meant to be buried under doubt, or owned with pride. When we are humbly open ourselves to one another, we are encouraged and affirmed by others’ witnessing God’s presence in us, and further, we can also do the same for others. How are you helping people around you to let the seeds of goodness sprout? What do you see in the other person to be put into songs of praise?
Fr. James