Magnificat Challenge

Three times during Advent, parishioners gathered to pray a number of psalms aloud in what is known as the Liturgy of the Hours. The evening Liturgy of the Hours always contains, from the Gospel of Luke, Mary’s Canticle, those verses she speaks on visiting Elizabeth. The opening words of the Canticle are:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

They are used by the Church at the end of each day to help us to be thankful and proclaim the greatness of the Lord.

What about every adult and every family in our community committing to praying Mary’s Canticle each evening?

We could unite ourselves around Mary and give thanks to God for the day. Please let me know if you are going to take up this challenge.

Even if you don’t have a copy of all of Luke 1:46-55 at hand, you could repeat these verses a number of times:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

So to launch this month’s focus on prayer, please pray the following, asking Mary to dispel any arrogance from our hearts and help us know the blessedness of prayer:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.
(Luke 1:46-55)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

Fr. Neville O’Donohue, S.M., Pastor