Magnificat!

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of the Almighty’s servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is God’s name. (Luke 1:46-49)

Mary’s song of praise and thanksgiving burst forth as she rejoices with Elizabeth. Mary, the first disciple, Mary a model for our own walk with the Lord. Where in your life has your own magnificat burst forth? Just as Christmas celebrates the birth of our Savior, our magnificat celebrates the coming forth, the birth, of Christ through us. I have been blessed with many graces from our great God. I have sung many songs of praise and thanksgiving for the abundance of His love. This week though, I feel close to Mary in the tone of my magnificat. For the Encounter School of Ministry that Jeff and I attend we are tasked with a Year 2 project. We must plan a “mission” with a team of fellow students where we can share what we have learned with the community. We are tasked with stepping out in faith. My team of five students coordinated a “Prayer Room” during our weekly adoration hour at St. Bernard’s. We provided two prayer teams set up in the adjacent chapel and invited the St. Bernard Community to receive prayer of healing, prayer of encounter, prayer of prophecy, facilitation of forgiveness, prayer for spiritual gifts. We created flyers, bulletin announcements, and church announcements. This week Tuesday heralded our big first night. At first as we sat quietly waiting in the chapel, the reality that no-one may come forth resonated. Grace was bestowed in this moment. Instead of worrying about “failing” or being rejected, something else occured. I felt His Thirst.

“I thirst.” (John 19:28)

I felt in that moment Jesus’ deep love for each of us, His deep desire to bring His love and His healing into each of our uniquely broken worlds. I felt His deep sadness that too few accept. I was willing in that moment to sit with our Lord for that hour and simply share in His thirst if that was all that I could do. He had other plans. One by one they came, patiently forming a line and waiting. We were able to minister to twelve people that night. What an incredible gift. I was able to see time and again the moment that Jesus became present and more real in each of their faces. All walked away with one kind of healing or another. All walked away with the greatest gift of all, the gift that was shared by Magi and shepherd alike, Encounter. Mary’s magnificat is a song of praise and thanksgiving not because God answered her prayer (she did not ask to be the mother of our Lord) but because she was joyful to be made part of His salvation plan. This has been the song of my soul as well. This week I felt so blessed to be an instrument of His grace, glory, power, and love. My soul doth glory in your love O Lord! As we enter this blessed Christmas, may we seek the soul song that the Holy Spirit planted deep within at our baptism. May we each shift our focus from seeking our own encounter to being His Disciple of Encounter for another. This is the true Spirit o Christmas, Emmanuel, God with us.

May the Lord bless each of you with His renewed presence in your heart. Amen