Showing posts with label Magnificat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Magnificat. Show all posts

December 17, 2019

Magnificat: Mary’s Magnificent Prayer


Can you imagine the Virgin Mary’s puzzlement and awe when Gabriel, the Angel of God, appeared before her? Then even more puzzling and awesome, the Angel announced that God had chosen her to bear His Son!

Immediately, Mary believed him but, naturally, had questions. Gabriel answered, explaining how the Holy Spirit would come upon her or, as many translations say, “overshadow” her.

As Mary took this all in, Gabriel went on to tell her something only Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah knew: that the elderly couple would soon have their first child.

By then, Elizabeth was only three months away from the birth of a son, who would become known as John the Baptist. But, perhaps because of her age or Zechariah’s temporary muteness as a result of his unbelief or because she didn’t know how people would respond after years of taunting her for being barren – for whatever reason, Elizabeth had kept herself confined for six months. Surely she needed help! And, now with child herself, the young virgin hurried to help.

As soon as Mary arrived, Elizabeth’s unborn baby jumped for joy. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth exclaimed over Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:42.)

With unimaginable joy and awe, Mary burst into praise. And that prayer became known as the “Magnificat,” which comes from the first line of the prayer as translated from its original Aramaic language into Latin, “Magnificat anima mea Dominum.” When translated into English, the Magnificat joyously proclaims, “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

Luke 1:46-50, from the King James Version (KJV) 

And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded
the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done
to me great things;
and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them
that fear him
from generation to generation.

From the Book of KJV Prayers – actual prayers from God’s Word collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, from the King James Version of the Bible

Luke 1:46-50, in contemporary English

With all my heart, I praise You, Lord!
What favor You have shown!

From now on, every generation 
will call me blessed
because of the great things
You have done for me.

Holy is Your Name!

In every generation,
You give mercy upon mercy
to all who honor You.

From the Book of Bible Prayersactual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019


May you have a blessed Christmas and 20/20 vision in a joyous new year.

August 15, 2013

Whole body clothed in praise

Seeking the prayers of the Bible in the Daily Bible Readings often brings days of interesting stories, proverbs, parables, or prophecies, but not necessarily prayer. Today, however, choices arose in the passage from Isaiah below and the Gospel reading from Luke 1:46-55, also known as The Magnificat. Since “The song of Mary, Mother of Jesus” had previously been prayer-a-phrased here, I encourage you to visit that post, too, to see and hear how beautifully Mary embodied this prayer-life of praise from the Prophets.

Greatly will I rejoice in the LORD!
My whole being shall exult in my God,
Who clothes me with garments of salvation.

God has robed me in righteousness –
the way a bridegroom wears a garland
or jewels adorn a bride.

The whole earth brings forth beauty
like a spring garden with shoots growing
from what’s sown.

So the Lord God has sown us
with righteousness and praise
ready to spring into flower
and clothe the nations.


©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased poem from today's Daily Bible Reading in Isaiah 61:10-11



December 23, 2012

The song of Mary, Mother of Jesus

Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
God favored me, His lowly servant,
and from this day
all generations will call me
blessed.

The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name.

In every generation
God has mercy on those
who awe and honor Him.

With strength of arm that can be seen,
God scatters the pride of the proud.

From high places,
He casts down the mighty
and lifts the lowly
to new heights.

God fills with good things
those who hunger for Him
but sends away those
too filled with themselves
to know they are empty.

God comes to help His people!
He remembers well
the promise of mercy made
to our forefathers and foremothers –

to Abraham and the children
of God
forever.

©2012 Mary Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of Luke 1:46-55



















In the Amen of Jesus

  2 Corinthians 1:20 – “In Christ, every promise of God finds its ‘Yes!’ And also through Him is our ‘Amen!’ for the glory of God through us...