In the Bible, it is usual that after an extraordinary event, a hymn or a song to celebrate it takes place. This is why, in the Gospel of Luke, after the angel Gabriel announces the conception and birth of Jesus to Mary, a song called the Magnificat, or Song of Mary, is sung. This song bears a strong resemblance to Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2:1-10), a song attributed to the mother of the prophet Samuel in gratitude to God for the conception and birth of the miraculous child. With this extraordinary event, related in the gospel of Luke, the covenant made between God and David (2 Samuel 7) was fulfilled in Mary, as the angel promised the birth of a savior for Israel.
Mary is considered a God-fearing woman in the gospels, and in this song, the glory, wisdom, and mercy of God over all things are expressed. In this song, Maria begins by expressing her happiness and joy for the grace received: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed" Luke 1:46-48.
Then the song continues, expressing how God provides for the needy and how the children of Israel are always before His eyes; and how God in His wisdom accomplishes great things and rejects the proud of heart, that is why the song also expresses: "He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts" Luke 1:51.
This song of Mary is a song that essentially expresses something that in Christianity is known as poverty of spirit. As Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, Mary is poor in spirit in the sense that she considered herself a humble servant of the Lord, and did not pretend, as Job in the Old Testament did, to set herself up as judge of the Lord for the event that occurred. In this sense, Mary, the mother of the Lord, with her singing, is an example to follow for all who want to enter the Kingdom of God, the empire or government of the divine perfections.
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