My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

22 DECEMBER (Lk 1,46-55)

Anna is a grief-stricken woman. She goes to the Lord and asks for the grace of a child. The Lord grants her the requested grace. She sings a song of praise and blessing to her God, who is the Almighty Lord, the perennial Creator of all life.

Hannah rose after one such meal at Shiloh, and presented herself before the Lord; at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair near the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. In her bitterness she prayed to the Lord, weeping copiously, and she made a vow, promising: “O Lord of hosts, if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid, if you remember me and do not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the Lord for as long as he lives; neither wine nor liquor shall he drink, and no razor shall ever touch his head.” Early the next morning they worshiped before the Lord, and then returned to their home in Ramah. When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, the Lord remembered her. She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the Lord for him.

As she worshiped the Lord, she said: “My heart exults in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory. There is no Holy One like the Lord; there in no Rock like our God. “Speak boastfully no longer, nor let arrogance issue from your mouths. For an all-knowing God is the Lord, a God who judges deeds. The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength. he well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes. “The Lord puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again. The Lord makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts. He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage. He gives to the vower his vow, and blesses the sleep of the just. “For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he has set the world upon them. He will guard the footsteps of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall perish in the darkness. For not by strength does man prevail; the Lord’s foes shall be shattered. The Most High in heaven thunders; The Lord judges the ends of the earth, Now may he give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed!” (Cf. 1Sam 1,1-2,10).

There is an abysmal difference between the Virgin Mary and Anna. Mary asks neither for a child nor for other things. The Lord asks Mary for the gift of herself, forever, in a virginal way in her heart, soul, spirit, body, will and desires. The Almighty God, the Lord creator of heaven and earth, He is the one to need to give his Only Son to mankind and for this he asks the creature to give him hi own body and life. The Most High God asks for help to the most humble creature.

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

To operate salvation the Lord is the one that asks, wants, demands; today, he still needs still man’s body. He needs a holy virgin, free, pure, poor in spirit body, that it is all of God and no longer of the person that gave it to him. Mary gave herself to God and God has made of her the highest creature in the universe. Maria sees this almost divine height for this height makes she makes the Lord great. The great God has made her great. The Most High God has made her very high, the small and humble woman.

This vision of faith is what is lacking to the Christian today. This wants to do something for his God and Lord; however, he does not want to give himself in a virginal, global and total way. He wants to give God something of himself, but always having the full government of his will and his gift. We are very far away from the imitation of the Virgin Mother. We are far from following her example. Our life is firmly chained in our will and no one, not even the Lord, can free us from the chains of hell.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us true gift to the Lord.