“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:46,47,50).
Jesus could have come as a mighty warrior and been born into a prominent family of the time, but he did not. Instead, he chose the poor and humble. In today’s scripture, the virgin Mary sings with joy the “Magnificat”, a song of praise to the Lord. She rejoices because God chose to identify with the lowly and poor instead of the mighty and proud. The Magnificat has been an anthem for the underprivileged through generations. This is because the king of the universe has chosen to be the king of the poor and humble. He chose to be a gift to them forever.
Christmas is a time of joy but also a cause of great pain. It reminds us of our friends and family who died, our failed goals, our poverty, and our loneliness to name a few. These are, indeed, causes of great sorrow, but the Magnificat reminds us that Jesus is with us. Jesus did not come for the successful and the rich; he chose the lowly and destitute. Thus, If you find yourself in pain this Christmas, you can take heart in the scriptures from today. I even invite you to take a step further and write these words and read them out loud every day this season. They will remind you that if you are struggling you are in good company.
Allow the gift of the humble Jesus to lift you from the shadows of despair. We are weak but Jesus is not! God has chosen to be a gift to the poor, the poor people like you and me.