Theme: The Visitation Mary at Prayer Opening Prayer: Magnificat Prayer 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, and 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 the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever. (Lk 1:46-55) Formation Purpose: Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth to help her during her pregnancy. She must have been filled with awe and wonderment about herself when the angel appeared and told her that she is going to be the mother of Jesus. Yet, she went ahead, extended her hand to make life easier for Elizabeth. We can follow Mary s example with the spirit of love and compassion by extending our help with the whole- hearted commitment to helping people in need. Mary s prayer of gratitude and wonderment, known as the Magnificat, proclaims the greatness of God. Everything comes from the Lord and we thank him all the time for his presence and we our confident that he will lead us to the truth, the way and the life. Her prayer is a conversation with God. She teaches us to pray and to praise. In addition, having an intimate conversation with God brings us closer to the profoundness of the Lord. `Background Notes: http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/magnificat.html The Magnificat, taken from Luke s Gospel (1:46-55), is the Blessed Virgin Mary s hymn of praise to the Lord. It is also known as the Canticle of Mary in the Liturgy of the Hours, a special collection of scripture readings, psalms, and hymns that constitute what is known as the prayer of the church. (Priests and other religious are required to pray sections from the Liturgy
of the Hours each day.) Although the Magnificat has had numerous musical settings from such composers as Palestrina, Bach and Mozart, it can be recited as well as sung. Its name comes from the first line of its text in Latin ( Magnificat anima mea Dominum ) translated in the first line below. Mary proclaims the Lord s greatness with characteristic humility and grace here. 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, and 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 the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever. (Lk 1:46-55) The Magnificat provides great material for meditation on the Visitation, the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, pictured above. When the angel Gabriel informs Mary that she is to be the Mother of God, he also tells her of her relative Elizabeth s pregnancy with John the Baptist. After Mary gives her famous consent to becoming the Mother of God, -- Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word (Luke 1:38) -- she goes with haste (1:39) to help Elizabeth, who is delighted to see her. Our Lady then expresses her joy in the Magnificat. Clearly Mary, in hastening to help her cousin, is focused on service to others. In this way she glorifies the Lord in reflecting (and magnifying ) His goodness and love. And, of course by
becoming the Mother of God she will help Him redeem us for our salvation in His Passion! Speaking of magnifying, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once referred to our Blessed Mother as being like a magnifying glass that intensifies our love of her Son. Note that Mary s joyful claim that all generations shall call me blessed in no way takes away from her humility. If she seems to boast here, it is much as St. Paul does later on in scripture when he says whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord (2 Cor 10:17), that is to say, in God s work being done through us. In this regard, the Magnificat is more than a prayer of praise. It also reminds us about the essential link between humility and holiness. Just as God has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid and has done great things for Mary in making her the Mother of his Son, so too he has put down the mighty from their thrones (with his own might!) and has exalted the lowly. (Note also our Blessed Mother s humility in referring to herself in this prayer, as she does in giving her consent to Gabriel mentioned earlier, as the Lord s handmaid, his servant!) As her Divine Son later stressed Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matt 23:12, also in slightly different words in Luke 18:14 and Luke 14:11). Jesus wasn t saying anything new here, either! We read similar thoughts in throughout the Old Testament such as in the Psalms and in this example from the book of Sirach Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. (Sirach 3:19) The line about God filling the hungry with good things resonates later in the Gospels as well, when our Lord says Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled (Matt 5:7). This serves as a good reminder for us to stay hungry for God s graces in praying and in reading His word in scripture. And as for the rich being sent away empty? This line refers to those who live for wealth and power and feel they have
everything figured out. These people in effect wish to be Gods rather than God s. How can our Lord fill those who are already full--of themselves? How about you? Does your soul magnify the Lord? We may never be able to approach Him from Mary s level of sanctity as the Mother of God. Still, we are all called to be saints nonetheless. Your good example, like our Blessed Mother s, can help others in their spiritual growth. Do people see Christ s love and goodness in you? Are you letting God work within you to accomplish His will? Let Mary help give you the graces you need to follow her Son and His Church in praying the Magnificat. As St. Ambrose once said in referring to this wonderful prayer, "Let Mary's soul be in us to glorify the Lord; let her spirit be in us that we may rejoice in God our Saviour." Pre- reflection/questions: Do you regularly have a personal conversation with God in prayer? What does your prayer entail? Are your prayers of praise, commitment, thanksgiving, intercessions? How do you think prayer is helpful? How does prayer make you feel? How do you relate with the Blessed Mother? How can we be like Mary when we pray to God? Religious Activity: Read and discuss pages 7-8 from The Marian Consecration Presentation. Middle School/ High School/ Young Adults: For Activity 1: In your journal, write a prayer of gratitude, love, or wonderment of life. Write a prayer as communication to God about the greatness of life. It may be a personal prayer of how God has helped you as well. Let it be a heart-felt conversation. For Activity 2: Have the members create a word search using the words: Vincentian, Marian, Consecration, Magnificat, Prayer, God, Jesus, Elizabeth, Annunciation, Visitation, Obedient, Yes, Wedding, Cana, Commitment, Inspiration, Love, Faith, Reflection, Formation, Community, Prayer, Discover, Follow, Offer (Word puzzle template at end of the document) Once they completed writing their word search, have them switch it with another person. After switching, the members can first try it on their own, then you can then partner up with the original creator of the puzzle, as a way to show that help from others is needed.
Sometimes finding God in our lives can feel like doing a word search. Our faith tells us that God is present in our lives, but we may not readily see God or God's actions. When that happens, we may need help to find God. Often we can find that help from other people. As seen in the Visitation, Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth and they helped one another see God working in their lives. In addition, Mary helps Elizabeth during the last few months of her pregnancy. She helps and serves her especially since Elizabeth is older. What helps us find the hidden words or meaning in life? How can others help us when we are doing these kinds of puzzles? Is it easier to work on these puzzles alone or with others? What do you do to find God? https://www.loyolapress.com/fourth- sunday- of- advent- cycle- c- sunday- connection.htm Reflection: Discuss Reflection Areas on page 8 from The Marian Consecration Presentation. For Activity 1: What are some ways that you may communicate with God? How did writing your letter or prayer make you feel? How is the formula of the Marian Consecration (DFLO) exemplified in the Visitation? How is the formula of the Marian Consecration (DFLO) exemplified in your life with prayer? Why do you feel prayer is important? Why do you think that The Visitation is important in the process of Consecration? How will it help us to grow in our relationship with God? How does the Magnificat guide us to follow the footsteps of Mary her humility, her acceptance of the role as the Mother of God? For Activity 2: How did working on the puzzle alone feel versus with the partner? Has there been a time when you felt you needed help to find God? Was there someone there to guide you and if so, how did they? Community: There may be a fellowship of healthy snacks with games, activities or Vincentian service projects if time permits. Closing Prayer: TO JESUS WITH MARY Lord Jesus, following the example of Mary, I want to DISCOVER you! With her, Mother of the Church, and in the heart of a serving community, I want to be a youthful presence, committing myself generously to evangelization. Lord Jesus, following the example of Mary, I want to FOLLOW you! With Mary, favored daughter of God the Father, and in faithfulness to my baptismal consecration, I want to be like You, the Evangelizer of the poor, by being a builder of Life, Love and Peace! Lord Jesus, like Mary, I want to LOVE you!
With her, the prayerful Virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, I want to make of my life a way of Prayer and Service, in simplicity, and humility, assuming the spirituality of the Magnificat. Lord Jesus, like Mary, I want to OFFER myself! With her, the first disciple, I want to open my heart and my mind to the mission, so that the gifts that You have given me may be at the service of the young of the world, thus becoming your hands, Lord, for others. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
Vincentian Marian Youth Word Puzzle Vincentian Annunciation Visitation Reflection Marian Jesus Obedient Faith Consecration God Wedding Disciple Magnificat Prayer Elizabeth Yes
Cana Commitment Inspiration Formation Community Prayer Angel Gabriel Discover Follow Love Offer