Daily Devotions – December 17, 2021

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Luke 1:39-55
39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
46And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.'” (Luke
1:46-47)

These are very familiar words—we hear them every Advent. They are filled with rich imagery that
draws on the story of the ways that God had blessed the people through the ages. And yet in this
reading one word has stood out for readers through the centuries—what does Mary mean when she says that her soul “magnifies” the Lord? The word itself means that something is enlarged or amplified.
Perhaps it is something like when we say that our heart “swells” with pride? Mary’s joy in God’s
promises makes her joy grow and swell within her, as she thinks about the coming Savior and her
role in all this.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, swell our hearts so that we may rejoice, like Mary, in the coming of your Son. Amen.