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| “Madonna of the Magnificat” (Madonna del Magnificat) by Sandro Botticelli, 1480-81 |
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Samuel 1:24-28
Commentary on 1 Sm 1:24-28
In this passage from First Samuel, we see Samuel’s mother, Hannah, dedicating the boy to God. The reference she made to Eli: “I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the Lord,” refers to her prayer that she would be allowed to bear a son for God (1 Samuel 1:9ff). Her prayer answered, she now dedicates him and leaves him to be trained in the faith. Hannah leaves the young Samuel at Shiloh. Shiloh at that time was a sanctuary for the people of Israel and a tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 18:1; 22:9). It was served by priests and was central to Jewish worship prior to the building of the Temple at Jerusalem.
CCC: 1 Sm 1 489
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Responsorial Psalm: 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
Commentary on 1 Sm 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
“A hymn attributed to Hannah, the mother of Samuel, as her thanksgiving to God because she has borne a son despite her previous sterility. She praises God as the helper of the weak (1 Samuel 2:1-2), who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly (1 Samuel 2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Samuel 2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the king (1 Samuel 2:10). This canticle has several points of resemblance with Our Lady's Magnificat.”[4]
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Commentary on Lk 1:46-56
Following the parallel canticle of Hannah from 1st Samuel, we are given the Magnificat, the beautiful Canticle of Mary. Her song of thanksgiving and humility captures the saintliness that has become synonymous with our image of Mary the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church. In her dedication to God’s service she offers herself to Him, as the vessel of the Messiah. She sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
"Three stanzas may be distinguished in the canticle: in the first (verses 46-50) Mary glorifies God for making her the Mother of the Savior, which is why future generations will call her blessed; she shows that the Incarnation is a mysterious expression of God's power and holiness and mercy. In the second (verses 51-53) she teaches us that the Lord has always had a preference for the humble, resisting the proud and boastful. In the third (verses 54-55) she proclaims that God, in keeping with His promise, has always taken care of His chosen people – and now does them the greatest honor of all by becoming a Jew (cf. Romans 1:3)."[5]
CCC: Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097; Lk 1:48 148, 971, 2676, 2676; Lk 1:49 273, 2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465; Lk 1:54-55 706; Lk 1:55 422
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Reflection:
As Christians one of the most important tasks we undertake is to try to conform ourselves to the will and example of Christ. We see him in terms of absolutes. He is the absolute pinnacle of love, love itself as scripture says. He is absolutely obedient to the will of the Father in all things. His spirit is the Holy Spirit, completely free from any blemish of sin. In short, he is perfection incarnate.
If one were to see his essence in stark relief against our own lives, we would despair at ever coming close to his example. How could we even begin such a journey? We therefore thank our God for providing us with examples we can see that remind us that ordinary human beings have approached the perfection for which we strive to varying degrees. Our chief sources of these examples are the Saints. Their lives, venerated by the Church, give us hope that we too can approach holiness. Their words stand like sign posts pointing the way to spiritual betterment. Sometimes miraculously and always heroically, they accept the invitation of the Lord to walk in his footsteps.
First and foremost among these Saints is Mary the Virgin Mother of God, whose song is proclaimed to the whole Church on this day (and surprisingly this is the only time the Roman Calendar uses this reading from St. Luke’s Gospel in the celebration of Mass). In St. Mary’s song she is responding to her cousin Elizabeth’s abject humility and praise at her arrival from Nazareth. The older woman, herself a vessel of new life, has echoed the words of the Archangel Gabriel who had pronounced her “full of grace” at the Annunciation. She praised Mary for her complete obedience to God’s invitation to accept the gift and responsibility of the Incarnate Word, now growing in her womb.
The Blessed Virgin’s answer to this praise is one of those seminal moments in the history of God’s revelation where we see the soul to which our souls aspire. Her opening words describe the perfect balance of calm assurance and perfect humility. Mother Mary can be completely subordinate to God while assuming, without pride, the role she now fulfills. After she identifies herself as God’s servant she goes on to praise God, recognizing all that he has done – magnifying his greatness – allowing her passion for God to swell in words that can barely grasp all the Father has done.
We hear and pray those words ourselves. We seek to use her example to mold our own response to God in grace and humility, as she did. The Blessed Mother’s example is one to which we can relate completely. Especially as the great Feast of the Nativity draws ever closer we pray that our response to God’s call may come closer to Saint Mary’s, that in her perfect obedience and joy in the Lord we may also find hope for ourselves.
Pax
O Antiphon for this date:[6]
O King of all the nations, the only joy of every
human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of
man: Come and save the creature you fashioned
from the dust.
O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.
[1] The picture used today is “Madonna of the Magnificat” (Madonna del Magnificat) by Sandro Botticelli, 1480-81
[4] See NAB footnote on 1 Sm 2:1
[5] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp. 350
[6] The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)
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