Waiting in joy for Christ’s coming Is 61:1-2A, 10-11; Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54; 1 Thes 5:16-24; Jn 1:6-8, 19-28 In a departure from the usual practice, the responsorial psalm for today’s Mass is not a psalm at all. It is a portion of Mary’s song of praise found in the Gospel of Luke. This poem is better known by the first word in its Latin version: the Magnificat. It is an amalgam of texts and themes taken from the Hebrew Bible, principally from Hannah’s song in 1 Sm 2:1-10. Luke places it on the lips of Mary as she responds to the greeting that she received from Elizabeth upon her arrival at Elizabeth’s home in the Judean hills. The portion of the Magnificat used as the responsorial psalm reflects three prominent motifs in the Gospel of Luke: Mary as God’s servant, the reversal of fortunes or the triumph of the poor and joy as a response to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Mary describes herself as “lowly,” i.e., without social status. She is a Jew and therefore belongs to a people without political power and subject to Rome. She is young, a woman and married to a laborer. Both the Angel Gabriel and Elizabeth testify to Mary’s new favorable status conferred on her by God’s surprising and gracious action. In the Magnificat, Mary embraces her mission as God’s servant. She asserts that others will recognize her divinely conferred status and will call her blessed. The paradox is that this status flows from her new role as God’s servant. The Old Testament designates many individuals as servants of the Lord, including Abraham (Gn 26:24), Moses (Ex 14:21), David (2 Sm 2:18), and the unnamed servant of the Lord in the book of Isaiah (42:1-4; 49:1-4 and 52:13—53:12). The prophets as a group are called the Lord’s servants. The New Testament identified Jesus as the servant of the Lord (Mt 12:18-21). Luke includes Mary among God’s servants, pointing to the importance of her mission in the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel. “(God) has filled the hungry with good things and the rich (God) sent away empty.” These words, which underscore the triumph of the poor, reflect the reversal-of-fortunes motif of the apocalyptic worldview that permeates much of the New Testament. This worldview locates believers among people on the margins of society and gives their lives meaning by relating them to the end of this age. The new age will usher in a reversal of fortunes. Luke’s Gospel pays special attention to people on the margins of society, especially the poor. In the Magnificat, Mary expresses her confidence in the final vindication of the poor. The change of her status from being on the margins to being favored by God is a harbinger of what lies ahead for the poor and oppressed. Mary expresses her joy in what God has done for her (“my spirit rejoices in God my savior”) and what God will do for the poor. Joy as a response to God’s saving actions is a principal theme in Luke’s Gospel. The word “joy” appears 11 times and “rejoice” appears 12 times in the third Gospel. This is more than the other three Gospels combined. Luke was convinced that the coming of God’s reign over this world is a cause for joy on the part of all those who await the triumph of good and life over sin and death. The joy that the good news of Jesus Christ arouses in the hearts of believers is a motif that binds all the biblical texts assigned for today’s liturgy. This Sunday is known as Gaudete Sunday, taking its name from the Latin word that begins the entrance song as found in the missal: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice” (Phil 4:4). Joy comes from knowing that Christ has already overcome sin and death and that the triumph of the poor and oppressed is assured. Believers wait with patience and hope for the final revelation of the full extent of Christ’s victory.
About the Author Father Leslie Hoppe, OFM, is professor emeritus of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union, 5416 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago.