Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (August 15)
1st Reading: Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
The Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet
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[19] Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his
covenant was seen within his temple.
The Woman Fleeing from the Dragon
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[1] And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars; [2] she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth,
in anguish for delivery [3] And another portent appeared in heaven;
behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven
diadems upon his heads. [4] His tail swept down a third of the stars of
heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the
woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child
when she brought it forth; [5] she brought forth a male child, one who
is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught
up to God and to his throne, [6] and the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God.
[10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and
the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ
have come.
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Commentary:
19. The seer introduces the heavenly temple (the location par
excellence of God's presence), paralleling the earlier mention of the
temple of Jerusalem (cf. 11:1-2). The opening of the temple and the
sight of the Ark of the Covenant show that the messianic era has come
to an end and God's work of salvation has been completed. The ark was
the symbol of Israel's election and salvation and of God's presence in
the midst of his people. According to a Jewish tradition, reported in 2
Maccabees 2:4-8, Jeremiah placed the ark in a secret hiding place prior
to the destruction of Jerusalem, and it would be seen again when the
Messiah carne. The author of the Apocalypse uses this to assure us
that God has not forgotten his covenant: he has sealed it definitively in
heaven, where the ark is located.
Many early commentators interpreted the ark as a reference to Christ's
sacred humanity, and St Bede explains that just as the manna was kept
in the original ark, so Christ's divinity lies hidden in his sacred body
(cf. "Explanatio Apocalypsis", 11, 19).
The heavenly covenant is the new and eternal one made by Jesus Christ
(cf. Mt 26:26-29 and par.) which will be revealed to all at his second
coming when the Church will triumph, as the Apocalypse goes on to
describe. The presence of the ark in the heavenly temple symbolizes the
sublimity of the messianic kingdom, which exceeds anything man could
create. "The vigilant and active expectation of the coming of the Kingdom
is also the expectation of a finally perfect justice for the living and the
dead, for people of all times and places, a justice which Jesus Christ,
installed as supreme Judge, will establish (cf. Mt 24:29-44, 46; Acts
10:42; 2 Cor 5: 10). This promise, which surpasses all human
possibilities, directly concerns our life in this world. For true justice
must include everyone; it must explain the immense load of suffering
borne by all generations. In fact, without the resurrection of the dead
and the Lord's judgment, there is no justice in the full sense of the term.
The promise of the resurrection is freely made to meet the desire for true
justice dwelling in the human heart" (SCDF, "Libertatis Conscientia", 60).
The thunder and lightning which accompany the appearance of the ark are
reminiscent of the way God made his presence felt on Sinai; they reveal
God's mighty intervention (cf. Rev 4:5; 8:5) which is now accompanied
by the chastisement of the wicked, symbolized by the earthquake and
hailstones (cf. Ex 9: 13-35).
1-17. We are now introduced to the contenders in the eschatological
battles which mark the final confrontation between God and his adversary,
the devil. The author uses three portents to describe the leading figures
involved, and the war itself. The first is the woman and her offspring,
including the Messiah (12:1-2); the second is the dragon, who will later
transfer his power to the beasts (12:3); the third, the seven angels with
the seven bowls (15:1).
Three successive confrontations with the dragon are described--1) that
of the Messiah to whom the woman gives birth (12:1-6); 2) that of St
Michael and his angels (12:7-12); and 3) that of the woman and the rest
of her offspring (12:13-17) These confrontations should not be seen as
being in chronological order. They are more like three distinct pictures
placed side by side because they are closely connected: in each the
same enemy, the devil, does battle with God's plans and with those
whom God uses to carry them out.
1-2. The mysterious figure of the woman has been interpreted ever since
the time of the Fathers of the Church as referring to the ancient people
of Israel, or the Church of Jesus Christ, or the Blessed Virgin. The text
supports all of these interpretations but in none do all the details fit. The
woman can stand for the people of Israel, for it is from that people that
the Messiah comes, and Isaiah compares Israel to "a woman with child,
who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near her time" (Is
26:17).
She can also stand for the Church, whose children strive to overcome
evil and to bear witness to Jesus Christ (cf. v. 17). Following this
interpretation St Gregory wrote: "The sun stands for the light of truth,
and the moon for the transitoriness of temporal things; the holy Church
is clothed like the sun because she is protected by the splendor of
supernatural truth, and she has the moon under her feet because she
is above all earthly things" ("Moralia", 34, 12).
The passage can also refer to the Virgin Mary because it was she who
truly and historically gave birth to the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord
(cf. v. 5). St Bernard comments: "The sun contains permanent color
and splendor; whereas the moon's brightness is unpredictable and
changeable, for it never stays the same. It is quite right, then, for Mary
to be depicted as clothed with the sun, for she entered the profundity
of divine wisdom much further than one can possibly conceive" ("De
B. Virgine", 2).
In his account of the Annunciation, St Luke sees Mary as representing
the faithful remnant of Israel; the angel greets her with the greeting
given in Zephaniah 3:15 to the daughter of Zion (cf. notes on Lk 1:26-
31). St Paul in Galatians 4:4 sees a woman as the symbol of the
Church, our mother; and non-canonical Jewish literature contemporary
with the Book of Revelation quite often personifies the community as a
woman. So, the inspired text of the Apocalypse is open to interpreting
this woman as a direct reference to the Blessed Virgin who, as mother,
shares in the pain of Calvary (cf. Lk 2:35) and who was earlier
prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 as a "sign" (cf. Mt 1:22-23). At the same
time the woman can be interpreted as standing for the people of God,
the Church, whom the figure of Mary represents.
The Second Vatican Council has solemnly taught that Mary is a "type"
orsymbol of the Church, for "in the mystery of the Church, which is
itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out
in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother.
Through her faith and obedience she gave birth on earth to the very
Son of the Father, not through the knowledge of man but by the
overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, in the manner of a new Eve who
placed her faith, not in the serpent of old but in God's messenger,
without wavering in doubt. The Son whom she brought forth is he whom
God placed as the first-born among many brethren (cf. Rom 8:29), that
is, the faithful, in whose generation and formation she cooperates with
a mother's love" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 63).
The description of the woman indicates her heavenly glory, and the
twelve stars of her victorious crown symbolize the people of God--the
twelve patriarchs (cf. Gen 37:9) and the twelve apostles. And so,
independently of the chronological aspects of the text, the Church sees
in this heavenly woman the Blessed Virgin, "taken up body and soul into
heavenly glory, when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord
as Queen over all things, that she might be the more fully conformed to
her Son, the Lord of lords (cf. Rev 19:16) and conqueror of sin and
death" ("Lumen Gentium", 59). The Blessed Virgin is indeed the great
sign, for, as St Bonaventure says, "God could have made none greater.
He could have made a greater world and a greater heaven; but not a
woman greater than his own mother" ("Speculum", 8).
3-4. In his description of the devil (cf. v. 9), St John uses symbols taken
from the Old Testament. The dragon or serpent comes from Genesis
3:1-24, a passage which underlies all the latter half of this book. Its
red color and seven heads with seven diadems show that it is bringing
its full force to bear to wage this war. The ten horns in Daniel 7:7 stand
for the kings who are Israel's enemies; in Daniel a horn is also
mentioned to refer to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, of whom Daniel also says
(to emphasize the greatness of Antiochus' victories) that it cast stars
down from heaven onto the earth (cf. Dan 8:10). Satan drags other
angels along with him, as the text later recounts (Rev 12:9). All these
symbols, then, are designed to convey the enormous power of Satan.
"The devil is described as a serpent", St Cyprian writes, "because he
moves silently and seems peaceable and comes by easy ways and is
so astute and so deceptive [...] that he tries to have night taken for day,
poison taken for medicine. So, by deceptions of this kind, he tries to
destroy truth by cunning. That is why he passes himself off as an angel
of light" ("De Unitate Ecclesiae", I-III).
After the fall of our first parents war broke out between the serpent and
his seed and the woman and hers: "I will put enmity between you and
the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel" (Gen 3:15). Jesus Christ is the woman's
descendant who will obtain victory over the devil (cf. Mk 1:23-26; Lk
4:31-37; etc.). That is why the power of evil concentrates all his energy
on destroying Christ (cf. Mt 2:13-18) or to deflecting him from his
mission (cf. Mt 4:1-11 and par.). By relating this enmity to the
beginnings of the human race St. John paints a very vivid picture.
5. The birth of Jesus Christ brings into operation the divine plan
announced by the prophets (cf. Is 66:7) and by the Psalms (cf. Ps 2:9),
and marks the first step in ultimate victory over the devil. Jesus' life on
earth, culminating in his passion, resurrection and ascension into
heaven, was the key factor in achieving this victory. St John emphasizes
the triumph of Christ as victor, who, as the Church confesses, "sits at
the right hand of the Father" ("Nicene- Constantinopolitan Creed").
6. The figure of the woman reminds us of the Church, the people of God.
Israel took refuge in the wilderness to escape from Pharaoh, and the
Church does the same after the victory of Christ. The wilderness stands
for solitude and intimate union with God. In the wilderness God took
personal care of his people, setting them free from their enemies (cf. Ex
17:8-16) and nourishing them with quail and manna (cf. Ex 16:1-36). The
Church is given similar protection against the powers of hell (cf. Mt 16:18)
and Christ nourishes it with his body and his word all the while it makes
its pilgrimage through the ages; it has a hard time (like Israel in the
wilderness) but there will be an end to it: it will take one thousand two
hundred and sixty days (cf. notes on 11:3).
Although the woman, in this verse, seems to refer directly to the
Church, she also in some way stands for the particular woman who
gave birth to the Messiah, the Blessed Virgin. As no other creature has
done, Mary has enjoyed a very unique type of union with God and very
special protection from the powers of evil, death included. Thus, as the
Second Vatican Council teaches, "in the meantime [while the Church
makes its pilgrim way on earth], the Mother of Jesus in the glory which
she possesses in body and soul in heaven is the image and beginning
of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise she
shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Pet
3:10), a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim people of God"
("Lumen Gentium", 68).
10-12. With the ascension of Christ into heaven the Kingdom of God is
established and so all those who dwell in heaven break out into a song
of joy. The devil has been deprived of his power over man in the sense
that the redemptive action of Christ and man's faith enable man to
escape from the world of sin. The text expresses this joyful truth by
saying that there is now no place for the accuser, Satan whose name
means and whom the Old Testament teaches to be the accuser of men
before God: cf. Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10). Given what God meant creation to
be, Satan could claim as his victory anyone who, through sinning, dis-
figured the image and likeness of God that was in him. However, once
the Redemption has taken place, Satan no longer has power to do this,
for, as St John writes, "if any one does sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our
sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (Jn
2:1-2). Also, on ascending into heaven, Christ sent us the Holy Spirit
as "Intercessor and Advocate, especially when man, that is, mankind,
find themselves before the judgment of condemnation by that 'accuser'
about whom the Book of Revelation says that 'he accuses them day
and night before our God"' (John Paul II, "Dominum Et Vivificantem",
67).
Although Satan has lost this power to act in the world, he still has time
left, between the resurrection of our Lord and the end of history, to put
obstacles in man's way and frustrate Christ's action. And so he works
ever more frenetically, as he sees time run out, in his effort to distance
everyone and society itself from the plans and commandments of God.
The author of the Book of Revelation uses this celestial chant to warn
the Church of the onset of danger as the End approaches.
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-27
The Basis of Our Faith (Continuation)
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[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a
man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam
all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his
own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to
Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God
the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. [25]
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The
last enemy to be destroyed is death. [27] "For God has put all things in
subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in
subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things
under him.
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Commentary:
20-28. The Apostle insists on the solidarity that exists between Christ
and Christians: as members of one single body, of which Christ is the
head, they form as it were one organism (cf. Rom 6:3-11; Gal 3:28).
Therefore, once the resurrection of Christ is affirmed, the resurrection
of the just necessarily follows. Adam's disobedience brought death for
all; Jesus, the new Adam, has merited that all should rise (cf. Rom
5:12-21). "Again, the resurrection of Christ effects for us the resurrection
of our bodies not only because it was the efficient cause of this mystery,
but also because we all ought to arise after the example of the Lord. For
with regard to the resurrection of the body we have this testimony of the
Apostle: 'As by a man came death, by a man has come also the
resurrection of the dead' (1 Cor 15:21). In all that God did to accomplish
the mystery of our redemption he made use of the humanity of Christ as
an effective instrument, and hence his resurrection was, as it were, an
instrument for the accomplishment of our resurrection" ("St Pius V
Catechism", I, 6, 13).
Although St Paul here is referring only to the resurrection of the just
(v. 23), he does speak elsewhere of the resurrection of all mankind
(cf. Acts 24:15). The doctrine of the resurrection of the bodies of all
at the end of time, when Jesus will come in glory to judge everyone,
has always been part of the faith of the Church; "he [Christ] will come
at the end of the world, he will judge the living and the dead; and he
will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works.
And all those will rise with their own bodies which they now have so
that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad;
the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal
glory with 'Christ" (Fourth Lateran Council, "De Fide Catholica", chap.
1).
23-28. St Paul outlines very succinctly the entire messianic and
redemptive work of Christ: by decree of the Father, Christ has been
made Lord of the universe (cf. Mt 28:18), in fulfillment of Ps 110:1 and
Ps 8:7. When it says here that "the Son himself will also be subjected
to him who put all things under him", this must be understood as
referring to Christ in his capacity of Messiah and head of the Church;
not Christ as God, because the Son is "begotten, not created,
consubstantial with the Father" ("Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed").
Christ's sovereignty over all creation comes about in history, but it
will achieve its final, complete, form after the Last Judgment. The
Apostle presents that last event--a mystery to us--as a solemn act
of homage to the Father. Christ will offer all creation to his Father as
a kind of trophy, offering him the Kingdom which up to then had been
confided to his care. From that moment on, the sovereignty of God
and Christ will be absolute, they will have no enemies, no rivals; the
stage of combat will have given way to that of contemplation, as St
Augustine puts it (cf. "De Trinitate", 1, 8).
The Parousia or second coming of Christ in glory at the end of time,
when he establishes the new heaven and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1-2),
will mean definitive victory over the devil, over sin, suffering and death.
A Christian's hope in this victory is not something passive: rather, it is
something that spurs him on to ensure that even in this present life
Christ's teaching and spirit imbue all human activities. "Far from dimi-
nishing our concern to develop this earth," Vatican II teaches, "the
expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the
body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the
age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to
distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the Kingdom
of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God,
insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society.
"When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature and our enter-
prise -human dignity, brotherly communion, and freedom--according
to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once
again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and trans-
figured, when Christ presents to his Father an eternal and universal
kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom
of justice, love and peace ("Roman Missal", preface for the solemnity
of Christ the King). Here on earth the Kingdom is mysteriously present;
when the Lord comes it will enter into its perfection" ("Gaudium Et Spes",
39).
24. "When he delivers the kingdom to God the Father": this does not
quite catch the beauty of the Greek which literally means "when he
delivers the kingdom to the God and Father". In New Testament Greek,
when the word "Theos" (God) is preceded by the definite article ("ho
Theos") the first person of the Blessed Trinity is being referred to.
25. "He must reign": every year, on the last Sunday of ordinary time,
the Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King, to acknowledge
his absolute sovereignty over all created things. On instituting this feast,
Pius XI pointed out that "He must reign in our minds, which should
assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and
to the teachings of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey
the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should
spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him
alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should
serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or, to
use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of righteousness unto
God (Rom 6:13)" ("Quas Primas").
27. By "all things" the Apostle clearly means all created beings. In
pagan mythology, rivalry and strife occurred among the gods and some-
times led to the son of a god supplanting his father. St Paul wants to
make it quite clear that Sacred Scripture suggests nothing of that kind.
No subjection is possible among the three persons of the Blessed Trinity,
because they are one God.
Gospel Reading: Luke 1:39-56
The Visitation
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[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill
country, to a city of Judah, [40] and she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41] And when Elizabeth heard the
greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And
why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
[44] For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the
babe in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the
Lord."
The Magnificat
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[46] And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, [47] and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior, [48] for He has regarded the low estate of
His handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me
blessed; [49] for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and
holy is His name. [50] And His mercy is on those who fear Him from
generation to generation. [51] He has shown strength with His arm, He
has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, [52] He has
put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree;
[53] He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent
empty away. [54] He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance
of His mercy, [55] as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his
posterity for ever."
[56] And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her
home.
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Commentary:
39-56. We contemplate this episode of our Lady's visit to her cousin
St. Elizabeth in the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary: "Joyfully
keep Joseph and Mary company...and you will hear the traditions of the
House of David.... We walk in haste towards the mountains, to a town
of the tribe of Judah (Luke 1:39).
"We arrive. It is the house where John the Baptist is to be born.
Elizabeth gratefully hails the Mother of her Redeemer: Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be
honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? (Luke 1:42-43).
"The unborn Baptist quivers...(Luke 1:41). Mary's humility pours forth
in the "Magnificat".... And you and I, who are proud--who were
proud--promise to be humble" ([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary").
39. On learning from the angel that her cousin St. Elizabeth is soon to
give birth and is in need of support, our Lady in her charity hastens to
her aid. She has no regard for the difficulties this involves. Although we
do not know where exactly Elizabeth was living (it is now thought to be
Ain Karim), it certainly meant a journey into the hill country which at
that time would have taken four days.
From Mary's visit to Elizabeth Christians should learn to be caring
people. "If we have this filial contact with Mary, we won't be able to
think just about ourselves and our problems. Selfish personal problems
will find no place in our mind" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing
By," 145).
42. St. Bede comments that Elizabeth blesses Mary using the same
words as the archangel "to show that she should be honored by angels
and by men and why she should indeed be revered above all other women"
("In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").
When we say the "Hail Mary" we repeat these divine greetings, "rejoicing
with Mary at her dignity as Mother of God and praising the Lord, thanking
Him for having given us Jesus Christ through Mary" ("St. Pius X Catechism",
333).
43. Elizabeth is moved by the Holy Spirit to call Mary "the mother of my
Lord", thereby showing that Mary is the Mother of God.
44. Although he was conceived in sin--original sin--like other men, St.
John the Baptist was born sinless because he was sanctified in his
mother's womb by the presence of Jesus Christ (then in Mary's womb)
and of the Blessed Virgin. On receiving this grace of God St. John
rejoices by leaping with joy in his mother's womb--thereby fulfilling
the archangel's prophecy (cf. Luke 1:15).
St. John Chrysostom comments on this scene of the Gospel: "See how
new and how wonderful this mystery is. He has not yet left the womb
but he speaks by leaping; he is not yet allowed to cry out but he makes
himself heard by his actions [...]; he has not yet seen the light but he
points out the Sun; he has not yet been born and he is keen to act as
Precursor. The Lord is present, so he cannot contain himself or wait
for nature to run its course: he wants to break out of the prison of his
mother's womb and he makes sure he witnesses to the fact that the
Savior is about to come" ("Sermo Apud Metaphr., Mense Julio").
45. Joining the chorus of all future generations, Elizabeth, moved by
the Holy Spirit, declares the Lord's Mother to be blessed and praises
her faith. No one ever had faith to compare with Mary's; she is the
model of the attitude a creature should have towards its Creator--
complete submission, total attachment. Through her faith, Mary is the
instrument chosen by God to bring about the Redemption; as Mediatrix
of all graces, she is associated with the redemptive work of her Son:
"This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made
manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to His death;
first when Mary, arising in haste to go to visit Elizabeth, is greeted by
her as blessed because of her belief in the promise of salvation and
the Precursor leaps with joy in the womb of his mother [...]. The
Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith and faithfully
persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she
stood (cf. John 19:25), in keeping with the Divine Plan, enduring with
her only-begotten Son the intensity of His suffering, associating herself
with His sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the
immolation of this Victim which was born of her" (Vatican II, "Lumen
Gentium", 57f).
The new Latin text gives a literal rendering of the original Greek when
it says "quae credidit" (RSV "she who has believed") as opposed to the
Vulgate "quae credidisti" ("you who have believed") which gave more of
the sense than a literal rendering.
46-55. Mary's "Magnificat" canticle is a poem of singular beauty. It
evokes certain passages of the Old Testament with which she would
ave been very familiar (especially 1 Samuel 2:1-10).
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).
"Our prayer can accompany and imitate this prayer of Mary. Like her,
we feel the desire to sing, to acclaim the wonders of God, so that all
mankind and all creation may share our joy" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By", 144).
46-47. "The first fruits of the Holy Spirit are peace and joy. And the
Blessed Virgin had received within herself all the grace of the Holy
Spirit" (St. Basil, "In Psalmos Homilae", on Psalm 32). Mary's soul
overflows in the words of the "Magnificat". God's favors cause every
humble soul to feel joy and gratitude. In the case of the Blessed
Virgin, God has bestowed more on her than on any other creature.
"Virgin Mother of God, He whom the heavens cannot contain, on
becoming man, enclosed Himself within your womb" ("Roman Missal",
Antiphon of the Common of the Mass for Feasts of Our Lady). The
humble Virgin of Nazareth is going to be the Mother of God; the
Creator's omnipotence has never before manifested itself in as
complete a way as this.
48-49. Mary's expression of humility causes St. Bede to exclaim: "It
was fitting, then, that just as death entered the world through the pride
of our first parents, the entry of Life should be manifested by the
humility of Mary" ("In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").
"How great the value of humility!--"Quia respexit humilitatem.... It is
not of her faith, nor of her charity, nor of her immaculate purity that our
Mother speaks in the house of Zachary. Her joyful hymn sings: `Since
He has looked on my humility, all generations will call me blessed'"
([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 598).
God rewards our Lady's humility by mankind's recognition of her
greatness: "All generations will call me blessed." This prophecy is
fulfilled every time someone says the Hail Mary, and indeed she is
praised on earth continually, without interruption. "From the earliest
times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God,
under whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all
their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of Ephesus,
there was a remarkable growth in the cult of the people of God towards
Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to
her own prophetic words: `all generations will call me blessed, for He
who is mighty has done great things for me'" (Vatican II, "Lumen
Gentium", 66).
50. "And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to gene-
ration": "At the very moment of the Incarnation, these words open up
a new perspective of salvation history. After the Resurrection of Christ,
this perspective is new on both the historical and the eschatological
level. From that time onwards there is a succession of new generations
of individuals in the immense human family, in ever-increasing dimensions;
there is also a succession of new generations of the people of God,
marked with the sign of the Cross and of the Resurrection and `sealed'
with the sign of the paschal mystery of Christ, the absolute revelation of
the mercy that Mary proclaimed on the threshold of her kinswoman's
house: "His mercy is [...] from generation to generation' [...].
"Mary, then, is the one who has the "deepest knowledge of the mystery
of God's mercy". She knows its price, she knows how great it is. In
this sense, we call her the "Mother of Mercy": Our Lady of Mercy, or
Mother of Divine Mercy; in each one of these titles there is a deep
theological meaning, for they express the special preparation of her
soul, of her whole personality, so that she was able to perceive,
through the complex events, first of Israel, then of every individual
and of the whole of humanity, that mercy of which `from generation to
generation' people become sharers according to the eternal design of
the Most Holy Trinity" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 9).
51. "The proud": those who want to be regarded as superior to others,
whom they look down on. This also refers to those who, in their
arrogance, seek to organize society without reference to, or in
opposition to, God's law. Even if they seem to do so successfully,
the words of our Lady's canticle will ultimately come true, for God will
scatter them as He did those who tried to build the Tower of Babel,
thinking that they could reach as high as Heaven (cf. Genesis 11:4).
"When pride takes hold of a soul, it is no surprise to find it bringing
along with it a whole string of other vices--greed, self-indulgence,
envy, injustice. The proud man is always vainly striving to dethrone
God, who is merciful to all His creatures, so as to make room for
himself and his ever cruel ways.
"We should beg God not to let us fall into this temptation. Pride is
the worst sin of all, and the most ridiculous.... Pride is unpleasant,
even from a human point of view. The person who rates himself better
than everyone and everything is constantly studying himself and looking
down on other people, who in turn react by ridiculing his foolish vanity"
([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 100).
53. This form of divine providence has been experienced countless times
over the course of history. For example, God nourished the people of
Israel with manna during their forty years in the wilderness (Exodus
16:4-35); similarly His angel brought food to Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-8),
and to Daniel in the lions' den (Daniel 14:31-40); and the widow of
Sarepta was given a supply of oil which miraculously never ran out (1
Kings 17:8ff). So, too, the Blessed Virgin's yearning for holiness was
fulfilled by the incarnation of the Word.
God nourished the chosen people with His Law and the preaching of
His prophets, but the rest of mankind was left hungry for His word, a
hunger now satisfied by the Incarnation. This gift of God will be
accepted by the humble; the self-sufficient, having no desire for the
good things of God, will not partake of them (cf. St. Basil, "In Psalmos
Homilae", on Psalm 33).
54. God led the people of Israel as He would a child whom He loved
tenderly: "the Lord your God bore you, as a man bears his son, in all
the way that you went" (Deuteronomy 1:31). He did so many times, using
Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, etc., and now He gives them a definitive
leader by sending the Messiah--moved by His great mercy which takes
pity on the wretchedness of Israel and of all mankind.
55. God promised the patriarchs of old that He would have mercy on
mankind. This promise He made to Adam (Genesis 3:15), Abraham
(Genesis 22:18), David (2 Samuel 7:12), etc. From all eternity God had
planned and decreed that the Word should become incarnate for the
salvation of all mankind. As Christ Himself put it, "God so loved the world
that Hegave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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