The Magnificat: Its Structure and Rhythm

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:14:12 GMT

This is the text of the Magnificat of Mary (Lk 1: 46-55) in the Jerusalem Bible:

46 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness [megalunei] of the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

48 because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Almighty has done [epoièsen] great things [megala] for me. Holy is his name,

50 and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.

51 He has used the power of his arm [epoièsen], he has routed the arrogant of heart.

52 He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.

53 He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.

54 He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love

55 -according to the promise he made to our ancestors-of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever."

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

These two verses absolutely parallel each other in a decisive introduction which gives the whole canticle its tone of joy and praise. The verb translated by "proclaims the greatness" (or exalts) has for its root "greatness." This theme pervades the whole canticle which sings of the mighty deeds of God (v 49), that are not only for Mary but for all of the people.

We notice that Mary’s "I" disappears behind expressions like "my soul" and "my spirit": to underline the depth of her sentiments and on the other hand to yield the scene to God.

This introduction is inseparable from the rest of the text, by the joy and the praise of "great things", and by the conjunction "because" which follows it.

"because…"

Because God intervened, and "has done"… His action springs from his "holiness" and "faithful love" (or mercy).

In the introduction Mary was the subject of the verbs and God the object of her praise; now God is the subject of the verbs: the canticles tells us about God.

The verbs are all in the aorist, the Greek past tense: salvation has been given irrevocably, a hope is fulfilled even if it is still waiting for its full realization in history until the end of time.

In this first part (Lk 1 :48-50), everything takes place between God and his lowly servant and nothing separates them.

Then the vision expands in the universal perspective of all "who fear him", and to whom God’s faithful love or mercy extend.

"He has used the power of his arm… "

In the second part (Lk 1 :51-54), a third category emerges: the arrogant of heart, who keep God away from those he loves, the humble, but victory is gained, the time is to rejoicing and praise.

The mighty are routed and the lowly raised high, the starving are filled with good things and the rich sent away empty.

The Magnificat cannot be reduced to a socio-political hymn because it carries with it a salvific dimension: God is present and he is at the center of things.

But it cannot be reduced to a private prayer either, because it is about the world and its twisted history.

This is closely associated to the others: The same action of God accomplished in his servant (v 49) is deploying itself in the world (v51). The humble (v52) echo Mary (v48) whose lowliness God noticed. The mighty (v52) oppose God the Almighty (v 49) by unbearably usurping his divine power because they refuse their condition as created beings.

The arrogant of heart (v 51) oppose "those who fear him" and who live of "God’s faithful love" (v50).

"He has come to the help of Israel his servant …"

The last two verses form a conclusion where God’s battle against the oppressors abates: they are not mentioned anymore; only God and his servant Israel are recalled. Nothing comes between them anymore, just like the beginning of the canticle which brought together God and his humble servant alone.

God’s holiness (v49) is faithfulness to his promise. (v55)

Next Israel is designated by the vocable of Abraham and his descendants, a word which lends itself to a more universal spiritual interpretation.

This conclusion brings back the theme of God’s mercy, the principal thread of the whole canticle.

Excerpt from an Italian article: Alberto Valentini, “Approcci esegetici a Lc 1, 46b-55, in Theotokos V,1997 n°2, p. 403-422

And excerpt from : F. Breynaert, A l'écoute de Marie, préface Mgr Rey, Brive 2007, Tome 1, p. 38-39

Synthesis F. Breynaert

MarieDeNazareth - New

The Magnificat: Its Structure and Rhythm