Saturday, December 22, 2018 3rd Week of Advent 1st Reading: 1 S 1:24–28 Gospel: Lk 1:46–56
And Mary said:“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior! He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is his Name! From age to age his mercy extends to those who live in his presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He held out his hand to Israel, his servant, for he remembered his mercy, even as he promised our fathers, Abraham and his descendants forever.” Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Today let us focus on Mary as we reflect on Article 3 of The Apostles’ Creed: “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary”. Other religions are baffled about the great importance we give to her. But if we consider the fact that she bore Jesus in her womb, the glory we give her may not even be proportionate to her lofty status as Mother of God. And if we consider that it was God the Father who honored her first by singling her out from among women to be mother of His Son, we realize that the hyperdulia we extend to her can never be excessive.
What comes from the lips of a humble person after being lavished with favors is genuine gratitude. We see this in her song of thanksgiving, The Magnificat (from the Latin ‘Magnificare’ derived from a Greek word for ‘to make great’). This song is divided into two sections. The first describes God’s action in and through Mary. When Mary sang “from this day all generations shall call me blessed” she was not seeking self affirmation but the glory of God who did great things for her. To hide one’s blessings under the guise of humility is to deprive God of due glory.
The second section of the Magnificat tells us that the ‘yes tradition’ inaugurated by Mary continues in those who submit to the divine will. As Mary’s legacy continues, God is able to intervene in the lives of many. God normally intervenes with our human affairs through mediation with fellow human beings.
When we recite the “I believe in God” and come to the phrase “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary”, let us remember that God has done mighty deeds for us too. Our kind of song will depend on the depth of our gratitude. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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