Luke 1:39-56 "In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town..."

Luke 1:39-56 “In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
  and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
  from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
  he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
  and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
  and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
  in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
  to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
 And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.”

Question:

I would like to understand how this can come alive in my life. I feel there is something more … much more ... Thank you.

Comment:

 The heart of this passage is the “canticle” or hymn of Mary which has become known as the Magnificat. Based on the prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, it is a song of gratitude and submission. The Power of God can accomplish great things, Mary says in effect, and I am overwhelmed that that Power is to express through me.   In terms of the "much more" you (rightly, I think) feel this passage offers, I see it very much in the relationship between the two women. Both are pregnant with new spiritual possibility, despite the fact that neither pregnancy would be expected or acceptable in strictly human terms. Elizabeth is too old to be pregnant with the child who will grow to be John the Baptist, and Mary, Luke tells us, is pregnant of the Holy Spirit while still a physical virgin. Neither of them, I would imagine, would find much understanding, acceptance or support among friends and neighbors. That's why they are guided to join together—to support each other as they experience this remarkable new state of affairs.   Although Mary does most of the talking here, I think the key sentence is Elizabeth's: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." That is really what has brought them together. Both were called—as we are consistently called—to “give birth” to a new dimension of spiritual awareness. In this story the births are literal; in our lives they are usually metaphysical—new ideas, a new dimension of spiritual understanding. The important element is that we believe—that we trust the inner guidance of Holy Spirit and surrender to its energy moving through us, so the “birth” of new spiritual expression can be achieved. That trust and surrender are more easily realized—especially early on, when it's all still new—when we come together, like Mary and Elizabeth, with others who have also accepted a spiritual call.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed