Luke 1:46-56
In a General Audience on February 15, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46-56 as “a canticle that reveals the spirituality of the biblical anawim, that is, of those faithful who not only recognize themselves as ‘poor’ in the detachment from all idolatry of riches and power, but also in the profound humility of a heart emptied of the temptation to pride and open to the bursting in of the divine saving grace.”
Concluding his remarks, the Holy Father drew on the Exposition of the Gospel of Luke by St. Ambrose: “May Mary’s soul be in each one to magnify the Lord, may Mary’s spirit be in each one to rejoice in God. . . . Mary’s soul magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God because, consecrated in soul and spirit to the Father and to the Son, she adores with devout affection one God, from whom come all things and only one Lord, by virtue of whom all things exist.”
On May 1, 1854, Mother Pauline wrote to Sister Josepha: “Our spiritual progress is not limited by the circumstances which surround us but rather by our own attitudes. Let us therefore humble ourselves and look confidently to the infinitely powerful help of God. The Lord will never fail to grant sufficient grace.”
As we draw ever nearer to the celebration of the birth of Jesus, who became poor and humble for our salvation, let us pray for the grace to identify an attitude that has become an idol. What
attitude am I grasping so tightly that it prevents my heart from receiving the “bursting in” of divine grace? Am I able to let it go so that, with Mary, I can truly magnify the Lord and rejoice in God this Christmas?
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