Mary “magnified” the Lord, not because of the words she said or sang in praise of Him, but because Mary fulfilled God’s purpose for her to the fullest possible degree. Completely unhindered by sin, Mary evolved completely into the person God created her to be, and in so doing, her whole life magnified the Lord. Mary, herself, is the Magnificat.
Scripture References for The Show
Luke 1:46-55, the words of the Magnificat
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.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The God of peace sanctify you wholly, that your whole spirit, and soul, and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Three divisions or “parts” to man:
- spirit – Psalm 51:10, “Lord, create in my inward parts a right spirit.”
- soul – Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
- body – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Matthew 10:10, Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.
Mark 12:30-31, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Hebrews 11:1, (NJB) “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen.” (KJV) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Joh 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Interactive Scripture Meditation Excercise (Lectio Divina)
This week’s lectio exercise is based on a Thomistic approach. Go on! Try it!
Read (Lectio)
Colossians 3:23-24
(DRB) Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ.
(KJV) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
(NAB-A) Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.
(NJB) Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as done for the Lord and not for human beings, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving.
(RSV-CE) Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.
Meditate (Meditatio)
To whom is God speaking in these verses?
Which tasks of your daily life are most distasteful to you? What is is about those tasks that you find disagreeable? What does God mean by “whatever your task…”?
How do we do that? When and where in your daily routine, specifically, do these verses apply to you?
What does “heartily” or “from the heart” mean? Why are we doing our “work as unto the Lord”?
Who are we serving on a daily basis?
What does God mean by “you will receive the inheritance”? Which tasks done for the love of Christ in your heart merit reward?
Pray (Oratio)
As you consider that all the mundane jobs, chores, and duties of your station in life can accrue toward your eternal reward, what emotions and/or motivations do these verses inspire or provoke in you? Does it change how you will go about your daily routine from now on? How? What do you want to say to the Lord about that?
Rest (Contemplatio)
Perhaps you’d like to take a few minutes to thank Him for elevating such “little things” to eternity, so that none of it is wasted or useless.
Episode Resources
Essential Oils Information – Gotta check this out!
Frick Writes: A Mind Body Soul Journey
Nurturing the Body-Spirit Connection through Self-Care, Healing, & Essential Oils
Quotes from the Show
“For the Virgin, with lofty thoughts and deep penetration, contemplates the boundless mystery, the further she advances, magnifying God” (St. Basil on Luke 1:46-55).
CCC 455 The title “Lord” indicates divine sovereignty. To confess or invoke Jesus as Lord is to believe in his divinity. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit'” (I Cor 12:3).
Daily Scripture Reading (Lectio Divina) Resources
Print:
- Magnificat – http://us.magnificat.net/flipbook/US/holy_week/
- Give Us This Day – https://www.giveusthisday.org/Home/LookInside
- Word Among Us – https://myaccount.wau.org/signup
- Living Faith – http://www.livingfaith.com/index.php
Websites:
- Universalis – http://universalis.com/
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/010717.cfm
- Blessed Is She – https://blessedisshe.net/
Apps: https://catholicapptitude.org/2017/01/03/essential-catholic-apps-for-your-phone-or-tablet-or-watch/
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Join the Conversation
“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.” We will talk next week about the “reward.” What do you think the reward is?
Let me know if/how you liked the interactive scripture meditation.
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Image: https://unsplash.com/new?photo=h8nxGssjQXs – @r3dmax
This is SO good Sonja! The last part of this episode reminds me of Ephesians 2:10, where Paul tells us that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. I have heard it said that the word “workmanship” could be translated “poem”…which goes right along with your thought that Mary WAS the song…and that WE are part of that same song…created for doing good! As per my usual, I will be listening to this episode tomorrow again, and meditating on the Scriptures that you posted some more. Blessings to you, hopefully at least in the measure that you have blessed me today…and even more!
Ha! You’re ahead of next week’s show! You are right that “workmanship” equals “poem.” Song of Solomon illustrates the “song” idea too, which we’ll talk about next week. <3
I am a fairly new Catholic, so I am very, very excited about you teaching this series on Mary. I appreciate your enthusiasm and style, and am excited to be able to connect the dots of several things that I have been hearing and learning from the Lord. <3 How cool to "arrive early" in a thought process. Looking forward to next week. <3 Lyn