MARY’S MARVELOUS SONG OF PRAISE (Lk 1:46-55) #jesuschrist #mary #gospel #faith #dailyreflection

MARY'S WONDERFUL SONG OF PRAISE (Luke 1:46-55) (Reflection on the Gospel for Monday, December 22, in the Fourth Week of Advent, Year A) Dear friends, brothers, and sisters, in these days of late Advent, when the Lord's Birth is truly upon us, the Gospel presents us with Mary's canticle, the Magnificat. It is the song of a young woman who, visiting her cousin Elizabeth, is overwhelmed by the joy of the Holy Spirit and bursts into profound and sincere praise: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Mary sings not for herself, but for Him who has accomplished great things in her. She humbly acknowledges that she is only a "servant," a poor and small creature, upon whom God has rested his loving gaze. "He has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant": this is the secret of Mary's joy. It is not the pride of those who feel great, but the wonder of those who discover they are loved freely, chosen not for their own merits, but by pure mercy. And we, dear friends, in this time of waiting, are invited to do the same. God is at the door: He becomes flesh in Mary's womb, but continues to knock on the door of our hearts, of our daily lives. Like Mary, we too are called to believe that He works wonders among us, often precisely in our frailties, in our daily humility. How many times has the Lord looked upon our smallness (an illness, a family difficulty, a failure) and transformed it into an opportunity for grace? How many times has he lifted up the humble, satisfied those who hungered for justice, peace, love? The Magnificat is not just a personal song: it is a prophetic hymn that reveals the face of God. He "disperses the proud in the conceit of their hearts; he puts down the mighty from their thrones, and exalts the lowly; he brings down the mighty from their thrones, and lifts up the lowly; he brings down the mighty from their thrones, and lifts up the lowly." He fills the hungry with good things, and sends the rich away empty. God overturns the world's logic: He does not reward those who feel self-sufficient, but those who entrust themselves to Him with filial trust. And He does so by remembering His mercy, "as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants, forever." So, brothers and sisters, in this approaching Christmas, let us be inspired by Mary. She believed in the impossible announced by the angel and sang of her faith. We too, as a community, praise the Lord for the great wonders He continues to accomplish: in our parish, in families, in the acts of charity we see around us. Let us praise Him for the children who are born, for the elderly who bear witness to fidelity, for the young who seek the meaning of life, for those who suffer and offer their cross united with that of Christ. Let us learn from Mary to "magnify" the Lord: not with empty words, but with a life that rejoices in gratitude, that sets out to serve, that is, like Mary who "hurried" to Elizabeth, and who joyfully proclaimed that God is faithful. May the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, grant us a humble and joyful heart, capable of recognizing his wonders and singing, with her: "The Almighty has done great things for me."