LK 1:36-56
Jen Popiel, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of History.
Today, we read the words of Mary’s Magnificat: “My soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For
he has looked upon his lowly servant, from this day all generations will call me
blessed” (Lk 1:46-48) From yesterday’s
readings, we know that Elizabeth and John the Baptist also react with
exultation and joy to the presence of God, joining Mary in praise.
A first reading of these words makes me feel inadequate, not
exultant. December 22 is one of the very shortest days of the year, when light
is thin and cold seeps into the corners. I feel the end of the year closing in,
with too many tasks undone and others unappreciated. In that frame of mind, it is
hard for me to respond like Elizabeth did, with exultation and joy at meeting
the Lord. I feel overwhelmed and not
particularly ready to welcome God, let alone sing him a new song.
How can I capture Mary and Elizabeth’s sense of wonder, joy,
and blessing?
For me, some inspiration appeared in the figure of Hannah,
center of both the first reading and the responsorial psalm. Hannah, who
was barren for years, made an annual trek to Shiloh, where she prayed fervently
to the Lord for the blessing of a son.
When the Lord ended her infertility, she promised to give her
much-wanted son back to God after weaning him. In the first reading, Hannah
leaves the child that she had begged for in the temple in Shiloh. Even as she
does so, she exults, ““The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering
gird on strength.” (1 Sam 2:4),” much as Mary herself said “He has filled the
hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.” (Lk 1:53)
Hannah’s praise of God doesn’t come from a place of
strength; like Mary, she tells us that she is one of the tottering and weary. Even as this mother gives her beloved Samuel
– the answer to her prayers – back to God, she says that the broken are made strong
through God. God is great because “he has remembered his promise of mercy” (Lk
1:54).
In the build-up to Christmas, these readings remind me that
God’s gifts are not the ones we put under the tree, nor are our accomplishments
where our value is to be found. Instead, we can, like Hannah and Mary, praise
God not because we are mighty or strong or even joyful, but because his gift is
to take us, humble and broken, and use us as we are.
Jen Popiel, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of History.
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