Martin Luther published a commentary on Mary's words in 1521. For this Christmas edition of The Electric Gospel, we'll focus on Luther's thoughts regarding the second line of Mary's inspired song.
Mary also says: “God has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).
St. Paul teaches
us, in 1 Corinthians chapter 1: “God chose the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the
strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised
things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.” Thus God turns the world with all
its wisdom and power into foolishness, and gives us
another wisdom and power. ... So this is what Mary means: “God
has regarded me, a poor, despised and lowly maiden, though
He might have found a rich, renowned, noble and
mighty queen, the daughter of princes and great lords.
He might have found the daughter of Annas or of Caiaphas, who were
the first folk in the land. But He let His pure and gracious eyes land
upon me, and used so poor and despised a maiden, in
order that no one might glory in His presence, as though any person were worthy of this, and that I must acknowledge everything to be
pure grace and goodness and no part whatsoever my merit or
worthiness.”
How lowly was
the estate of this tender virgin, and how unexpectedly
this honor came to her, that God should regard her in such
abundant grace. Hence she does not glory in
her worthiness nor, for that matter, in her unworthiness, but solely in
the divine regard. ... When a prince takes
a poor beggar by the hand, it is not the beggar’s
lowliness, but the prince’s grace and goodness, that is to be
commended.
Luke tells us,
in his first chapter (Luke 1:29), that Mary was troubled at
the angel’s saying, and cast about in her mind what manner of greeting
that it could be, seeing she had never expected anything like it. Had it come
to a prince’s daughter, or the high priest Caiaphas’ daughter, she would
not have cast in her mind what manner of greeting it was,
but would straightway have hugged it to herself, and thought, “Oh, how
wonderful! This is just as it should be for me.”
Mary confesses
that the foremost work God wrought for her was that He
regarded her, which is indeed the greatest of His works, on which all
the rest depend and from which they all derive. For where it comes to
pass that God turns His face toward one to regard her, there is nothing
but grace and salvation, and all gifts and works must needs
follow. ... Here is the origin of the many prayers in the Psalms —
that God would lift up His countenance upon us, that He would
make His face shine upon us. And that Mary herself regards this as
the chief thing, she indicates by saying, “Behold, since He has
regarded me, all generations shall call me blessed.”
Note that she
does not say men shall speak all manner of good of
her, praise her virtues, exalt her virginity or
her humility, or sing of what she has done. But for this one
thing alone, that God regarded her, will men call her blessed.
That is giving all the glory to God as completely as it can
be done. Mary is not praised, but
God’s grace toward her is praised.
Many empty chatterers preach and write many
vain things about Mary’s merits. They spoil the Magnificat, make the
Mother of God a liar, and diminish
the grace of God. For, in
proportion as we ascribe merit and worthiness to her, we lower
the grace of God and diminish the truth of Mary’s song. Hence
all those who heap so great praise and honor upon her head are
not far from making an idol of her, as though she were
concerned that men should honor her and look to her for good things,
when in truth she thrusts such attitudes away from her, and would
have us honor God in her and come through her to a
good confidence in His grace.
Mary should be,
and herself gladly would be, the foremost example of the grace of God,
to incite all the world to trust in
this grace and to love and praise it. Mary is an example in this way: how the
exceeding riches of God joined in her with her
utter poverty, the divine honor with her low estate,
the divine glory with her shame, the divine greatness
with her smallness, the divine goodness with her lack of merit,
the divine grace with her unworthiness.
A blessed Christmas to all -- for all of us benefit from God's great mercy as did Mary. "Glory to God in highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14).
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