The Visitation and Mary’s Magnificat - Pastor's Column May 2023
Image: Visitation by Raphael, c. 1517, public domain
On the final day of May, the church commemorates a festival occasion known as The Visitation. This feast commemorates Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, while they are both with child (Luke 1:39-56), Mary with Jesus, and Elizabeth with John the Baptist.
It is a beautiful story in Luke’s gospel account containing some well-remembered moments. John leaps within the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, at the sound of Mary’s greeting. Elizabeth then greets Mary saying, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Mary’s response to this blessing from her cousin is an important one as here, Mary sings her song known as “the Magnificat.” Mary sings concerning the greatness of the Lord: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” When the angel Gabriel had announced to Mary that she would bear the Savior, her response had been a humble one that deferred to the Lord’s will. Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” When visiting Elizabeth and receiving the blessing from her, Mary continues in her humbleness by ascribing all the glory and honor of her present situation to the Lord. Mary refrains from any magnification of herself, but rather magnifies the Lord.
Martin Luther wrote at length concerning Mary’s Magnificat in Luke’s gospel and held that after Mary’s role in bearing Christ to the world,
she continues in her importance for the church by teaching us to sing her song. Luther writes:
[Mary] does not desire herself to be esteemed; she magnifies God alone and gives all glory to him. She leaves herself out and ascribes everything to God alone, from whom she received it. For though she experienced such an exceeding great work of God within herself, yet she was ever minded not to exalt herself above the humblest mortal living.
So little did she lay claim to anything, but left all of God’s gifts freely in his hands, being herself no more than a cheerful guest chamber and willing hostess to so great a Guest. Therefore she also kept all of these things forever. That is to magnify God alone, to count only him great and lay claim to nothing. We see here how strong an incentive she had to fall into sin, so that it is no less a miracle that she refrained from pride and arrogance than that she received the gifts she did. Tell me, was not hers a wondrous soul? She finds herself the Mother of God, exalted above all mortals, and still remains so simply and so calm that she does not think of any poor serving maid as beneath her.
We live in a world that celebrates achievements; where we are encouraged to take pride in our individualism and self-discerned identities. When anything from wealth to wisdom enters the picture, we are again tempted to pride and arrogance. And so we take up Mary’s song and learn her humbleness. By joining Mary in her song, we ascribe to Lord all honor and glory, and even all that we have. Luther is right: Mary’s role in magnifying the Lord and his great work among us to cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly, to scatter the proud, to fill the hungry with good things, and remember his promise of mercy remains of great importance to the church and indeed to all the world.