Our Lady of the Magnificat
The Magnificat statue was made in Caggiati, Italy from bronze and stands 20 feet tall.
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on 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, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, 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 help of his servant Isreal for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Luke 1: 46-55
Mary’s Magnificat geographically places us within the hill country of Judea. The name for this ancient region of the Holy Land comes from a Hebrew word that means “celebrated.” So we can discern something of divine providence at work when the Blessed Virgin Mary, Immediately after conceiving the Son of God in her womb, hastens to visit her cousin Elizabeth in a place whose name means “celebration.” At the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth in the Judean hills, the world first celebrates the Incarnation of the Son of God.
From the earliest days of the Church’s formal liturgy, especially in monasteries, Christians have gathered in the evening to sing together the words of Mary’s Magnificat.
Over the course of the centuries, artists have chosen the mysteries that the Magnificat embodies as a theme for their paintings and music.
The Magnificat opens up a mystery of divine love that manifests itself in three ways. Each way is represented by a holy person. First, there is the old Jewish woman, Elizabeth, who hears these words sung by a woman, her cousin, pregnant with God’s Son. Elizabeth represents the people of Israel, that is, God’s chosen people. Elizabeth is also with child; she herself embodies a visible sign that God “has remembered his promise of mercy.” The name given to this mercy is Jesus Christ. In a broader sense, then, Elizabeth also represents the world and all who inhabit it – that is, each person who has been created for redemption in Christ.
Second, there is Mary herself. The Magnificat reveals the unique position the the Mother of the Redeemer enjoys in the Church of her Son. God comes among us as a little child. From this moment on, true religion belongs to those who are willing to become like little children. Within the compass of the mystery of her divine maternity, Mary becomes at once mother and highly favored daughter. Thus the greeting of the angel, “Hail, full of grace.” So Mary proclaims that God “has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” She accepts her littleness.
Third, there is a figure of Everyman. The Magnificat forms a prayer for all Christian believers. Mary is their spiritual mother, and so Christians pray the Magnificat. They are invited to enter into the rhythms of the Magnificat so that their lives will reflect the same attitudes and affections that inform the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.