The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded *
the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold from henceforth *
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him *
throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *
as he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed for ever.
There has been a lot of public discussion around Handmaidens recently - which I am sure delights the Blessed Virgin Mary - but leaves many of the rest of us confused. For the last four years the rise in popularity of “A Handmaid’s Tale” has left many of us with a rather perjorative definition and the current debate around the honorable Amy Coney Barrett’s membership in something called “The People of Praise” has only heightened that. The public square is rapidly defining ‘handmaiden’ as a woman who is docile, subservient, weak, dependent on her male counterpart for support, sustenance and direction.
But when Mary replied to the Angel Gabriel “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be with me according to Thy word” that was NOT what she intended.
Now let me be clear that this is not directed at Judge Barrett or the People of Praise. I do not know what their thinking was or is around the term, and that is not the point of this brief reflection.
Whatever the popular discourse is around handmaidens real and fictional, as Christians we should not let that discourse change how we understand the Holy Mother of God, Mary herself. To be the Handmaid of the Lord is not only a high honor - but is work that requires strength, courage, independence, patience, compassion and faith that God is walking with you when others in your life are walking the other way.
But don’t take my word for it! Listen to Mary herself - Her Magnificat serves as a perpetual reminder of what it means to be a handmaiden of the Lord.
For behold from henceforth *
all generations shall call me blessed.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
This is the work that God is doing through Mary, that God is doing through all of God’s handmaidens. If there is such a thing as ‘women’s work’ in the Church this is it: to lead, to offer a prophetic voice, to show up when others are afraid, and to bring the living God into the world - over and over again. Monica and I are unabashedly raising our daughter to be someone who works directly with Jesus to right wrongs, to lift up the lowly, to feed the hungry and to cast out the rich and powerful.
That is what a handmaiden of the Lord is called to.
No matter what anyone else says.