Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 22, 2022
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
Today Mary proclaims God’s history of overturning human expectations. But even before this, her fiat turned something inside-out at the very source of the promise “to Abraham and his children forever.”
Abraham’s wife, Sarah, the 90-year-old destined to be the “mother of nations,” understandably struggled to see how God’s promise of posterity would involve her own motherhood. She could bring herself to believe that God’s word would be fulfilled for her, but by her slave Hagar. In her? It seemed impossible.
The angel’s promise of a baby born of her own womb even made her laugh. God’s Word was fulfilled in her, but in a sense, despite her. In God’s faithfulness, the promise of the Messiah advanced all the way to Mary’s day–through, yet often despite, the response of “Abraham [and Sarah] and his children.”
Perhaps the young Mary considered in her heart that, like Abraham, Sarah greeted the promise of God “from afar,” even when it was very near. So on the occasion of Mary’s own angelic visitation, she welcomed the promise to be fulfilled in herself: “Let it be to me according to your word.”
This response was the beginning of the song of praise we read today. Mary’s song, the fiat at the heart of the Magnificat, is abandoning her whole self, even her incredulity, to the rhyme of salvation history.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may our hearts rejoice for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we grow each day in our faith and humility by always trusting your Divine Providence. Help us to leave behind past humiliations and to look forward to the future glory which you offer to us each and every day. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Thomas Holland was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London during the English Reformation.
He was born to a noble family of England in 1600 and was sent to France and Spain for his education. He entered the Jesuit order in 1624 and was ordained a priest soon afterwards. After teaching and serving spiritual needs in France and Belgium, he was sent as a missionary to England, where being Catholic was forbidden.
He was well-suited to be a missionary in the Catholic underground community in London—he spoke flawless Spanish, French, and Flemish, and was known to be very good at taking on various disguises.
On Oct. 4, 1642, he was arrested in the street for a vague suspicion and was imprisoned. He was tried for being a priest—though there was no evidence for this charge, he refused to swear that he was not a priest, and was found guilty. He was sentenced to death.
When he returned to prison to await his execution, he heard many confessions and was even allowed to celebrate Mass several times.
He was executed on this date in 1642, and was led from the prison in a cart. When they arrived to the place of execution, he stood and addressed the large crowd that had gathered to watch. He confessed to being a Catholic, a priest, and a Jesuit, and then placed the noose around his own neck and forgave the judge and jury who had convicted him. He then forgave his executioner and gave him a few coins he had in his pocket. The cart pulled away and he was left to hang till dead.
Blessed Thomas Holland, you were the master of disguise who ministered to underground English Catholics, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Thomas Holland is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
