46 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
51 He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: 55 As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
(Douay Rheims edition of the Bible, 1899. Public Domain. DRBO.org)
Context: Unique in the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke includes the infancy narratives of Jesus as well as the most stories of women. Scholars believe it was written around 62 AD, before the deaths of both St. Peter and St. Paul. Further, Luke writes to an audience of both Gentiles and Israelites. The Magnificat echoes the Song of Hannah in I Samuel 2:1-10, rejoicing over the gift of a son. Samuel then proclaims the Davidic Kingship, a change in leadership.
Translation: The only instance in the Bible of the Greek word dŏulē, meaning female slave or servant, is found in Mary’s description of herself, at the Annunciation (Lk 1:38) and in the Magnificat.
Vocabulary (Greek):
Humility – tapeinōsin: humiliation, low estate
Handmaid – dŏulē: a bondwoman or maidservant. This is the feminine form of dŏulŏs: a male servant, slave.
Blessed – makariousin – beatify, to count blessed (only in Lk 1:48 and James 5:11)
Servant Israel – pais – a servant of God, the pre-eminent servant. Lk 1:54
Exalted the humble: tapeinous Lk 1:52 same word family as humble
Meditation
Did you know that the Magnificat prayer was banned by the British in India in the early 1800s? The words were considered too revolutionary to be included in vespers by Anglican clergy. Eventually, India did put down the mighty, and lifted up the lowly under Mahatma Gandhi in the 1940s.
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo protested the disappearance of their children during the Dirty War in Argentina in the late 1970s. Their posters included the words of the Magnificat. The military junta responded by banning the prayer from public display.
And similarly in Guatemala, the prayer was banned by dictators in the 1980s.
A radical, revolutionary prayer? Or just a simple outpouring of praise for God from his most beloved handmaiden? Perhaps it’s both.
For the Jewish people, Mary’s hymn has even more lofty connotations. The Magnificat echoes the hymn that Hannah sang in I Samuel 2:1-10, thanking God directly for the blessing of a son, and offering that son back to the exclusive service of God. Her son Samuel eventually proclaimed the establishment of Israel as a mighty nation under the Davidic kingship. Jesus’ reign is even more radical.
At one and the same time, Mary proclaims herself a slave to the Lord…and Queen of the blessed for all eternity—the Beata! How can we possibly wrap our minds around the paradox?
The central point is love – love of God for every soul He created, and the innate response of love that makes service possible for the humble soul. And that love will by definition completely change the world.
From the first moment of her divine motherhood, of her union with the Son whom ‘the Father sent into the world,” (cf. Jn 3:17), Mary takes her place within Christ’s messianic service.” (Mulieris Dignitatem, 5)
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