I always appreciate hearing these words from Mary in the final days before Christmas. Her Magnificat is the harsh counter-narrative to holiday consumerism that I need as I wrap Christmas presents.

It might seem strange to characterize Mary’s words in today’s reading as harsh. Her poetic words are easy to imagine in soft tones and are often set to lilting melodies. But at the heart of her message are phrases such as, “scattered the proud in their conceit; cast down the mighty from their thrones; the rich he has sent away empty.” Mary is asserting a strong vision of God’s priorities based on the Scriptures of Israel and resonant with the teachings her son will one day echo in his own ministry. God has, “lifted up the lowly.. and filled the hungry with good things.”

By the time this reflection publishes I will be making the final selection of a standing rib roast for our Christmas dinner. I’ll be counting out how many presents I have for each of our children so I can plan how to wrap the gifts and decide what goes under the tree and what goes in the stockings. We won’t have as many place settings around the table this year because of the pandemic, but I’ll still bring out the fine china because, if you don’t use it at Christmas, why even have it?

I’m not ashamed of making holidays special and celebrating well, but there is also no room for doubt about where I stand in Mary’s juxtaposition of the rich and the hungry, the mighty and the lowly. This awareness is healthy, I think. It helps me bring balance to our family celebrations and plan out how we can support our community, be charitable, and raise our children to be conscious of issues of justice in our society.

Most of all, Mary’s words remind me that our preparation for the Christmas day is not about gifts and trappings, but about making our hearts desire what God desires. Only then will be ready for the coming of the son of God, and the son of Mary.