Posted on 12/22/2022 7:12:57 AM PST by fidelis
(Daily readings from the USCCB)
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Luke 1:46–47
There is an age-old question that asks, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Well, perhaps it’s an age-old “question” because only God knows the answer to how He created the world and all the creatures within it.
Today, this first line from the glorious song of praise of our Blessed Mother, the Magnificat, poses to us another question. “Which comes first, to praise God or to rejoice in Him?” Perhaps you’ve never asked yourself that question, but it’s worth pondering both the question and the answer.
This first line of Mary’s song of praise identifies two actions taking place within her. She “proclaims” and she “rejoices.” Think about those two interior experiences. The question can be better phrased like this: Did Mary proclaim God’s greatness because she was first filled with joy? Or was she filled with joy because she first proclaimed the greatness of God?
Perhaps the answer is a bit of both, but the ordering of this line in Sacred Scripture implies that she first proclaimed and as a result was filled with joy.
This is not just a philosophical or theoretical reflection; rather, it is a very practical one that offers significant insight into our daily lives.
Oftentimes in life we wait to be “inspired” by God before we thank and praise Him. We wait until God touches us, fills us with a joyful experience, answers our prayer and then we respond with gratitude. This is good. But why wait? Why wait to proclaim the greatness of God?
Should we proclaim the greatness of God when things are difficult in life? Yes. Should we proclaim the greatness of God when we do not feel His presence in our lives? Yes. Should we proclaim the greatness of God even when we encounter the heaviest of crosses in life? Most certainly yes.
Proclaiming the greatness of God should not only be done after some powerful inspiration or answer to prayer. It should not only be done after we experience the closeness of God. Proclaiming God’s greatness is a duty of love and must always be done, every day, in every circumstance, no matter what. We proclaim God’s greatness primarily because of Who He is. He is God. And He is worthy of all our praise for that fact alone.
Interestingly, however, the choice to proclaim the greatness of God, both in good times and in difficult times, often also leads to the experience of joy. It appears that Mary’s spirit rejoiced in God her Savior primarily because she first proclaimed His greatness. Joy comes from first serving God, loving Him and giving Him the honor due His name.
Reflect, today, upon this twofold process of proclaiming and rejoicing. Proclaiming must always come first, even if we feel as though there is nothing to rejoice about. But if you can commit yourself to the proclamation of the greatness of God, you will suddenly find that you have discovered the deepest cause of joy in life: God Himself.
Dearest Mother, you chose to proclaim the greatness of God. You acknowledged His glorious action in your life and in the world, and your proclamation of these truths filled you with joy. Pray for me that I may also seek to glorify God each and every day, no matter what challenges or blessings I receive. May I imitate you, dear Mother, and share also in your perfect joy. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Please keep in mind that this is a Catholic Caucus/Devotional thread for the purpose of prayerful reflection on the Sacred Scriptures and is closed to debate of any kind. Per FR policy on Religion Caucus threads, off-topic, argumentative, and abusive comments are not allowed and will be submitted to the Mods for deletion. Thanks, and God bless you.
Posted this in a other thread, but it goes along with your thread topic as well
Isaiah 43, 4 gives us a wonderful insight into God’s love for his chosen. The first 10 verses actually. Go to the link for a pretty good biblical commentary on it if you like- it’s a great chapter in his word
Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
“Since thou wast precious in my sight,.... As the saints are; not that they are valuable in themselves; they have no intrinsic worth in them; they are in no wise better than others; they are of the same mass and lump with others; they are of the fallen race of Adam, and are earthly and simple as he was; nor are they precious in their own sight, and much less in the eyes of the world; they are mean and despicable: but they are precious in the sight of God and Christ; in the sight of God the Father, who has chosen them, and taken them into his family, and blessed them with all spiritual blessings; and in the sight of Christ, who desired them, and betrothed them to himself, and undertook for them in eternity, and died for them in time; hence they are compared to things of value, to gold, to jewels, and precious stones, to a pearl of great price, to rich treasure;”
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/isaiah/43.htm
Why indeed?
I woke up this morning! Praise God, and thank Him for a new day!
The car started properly! Praise God, and thank Him for reliable transportation!
Etc ...
Should we proclaim the greatness of God when things are difficult in life? Yes. Should we proclaim the greatness of God when we do not feel His presence in our lives? Yes. Should we proclaim the greatness of God even when we encounter the heaviest of crosses in life? Most certainly yes.
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