READING 1
Luke 2:25-35
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.”
READING 2
From a Catechesis by Pope St. John Paul II
The Magnificat is a truly theological song because it reveals the experience Mary had of God’s looking upon her. In it, God is not only the almighty to whom nothing is impossible, as Gabriel has declared (cf. Lk 1:37), but also the merciful, capable of tenderness and fidelity toward every human being. “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts; he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away” (Lk 1:51-53). With her wise reading of history, Mary leads us to discover the criteria of God’s mysterious action. Overturning the judgments of the world, he comes to the aid of the poor and lowly, to the detriment of the rich and powerful. In a surprising way he fills with good things the humble who entrust their lives to him (cf. Redemptoris Mater 37). While these words of the song show us Mary as a concrete and sublime model, they give us to understand that humility of heart especially attracts God’s kindness. Lastly, the song exalts the fulfillment of God’s promises and his fidelity to the Chosen People: “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever” (Lk 1:54-55). Filled with divine gifts, Mary did not limit her vision to her own personal case, but realized how these gifts show forth God’s mercy toward all people. In her, God fulfilled his promises with a superabundance of fidelity and generosity.
From a General Audience of November 6, 1996.
REFLECTION
Mary experienced the merciful gaze of God upon her, filled with tenderness and fidelity. Mary knew God’s hesed—His steadfast love, His faithfulness to the covenant, and His faithfulness to her personally. She could put the full weight of her life on that hesed. She also knew His rahammim—his tender, womb-like mercies that treat the littlest, the most fragile and the most lost ones with the greatest care. And so she could sing of the logic of God who is never enamored with the powerful of this world, but who rather approaches the humble of heart with the greatest kindness.
O Holy Mary by John Henry Newman
Sub tuum praesidium
Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary or
Litany of Loreto or
at least one decade of the Rosary or
Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary
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