Gospel Passage: Lk 1:46-55 

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. 

Preparatory Prayer: (Express to God my hope in him, and ask him to increase it, so that I can live in my own life the joy and confidence of Mary.) 

1. Doing the Impossible 

It can be easy to take these words of Mary for granted, taking into account everything that came afterwards in her Son, Jesus Christ. However, this prayer rose from Mary's lips before she could really count on anything. 

After the Annunciation Mary really had nothing to show the world when the Angel left her: young, engaged, virgin ... and pregnant. Who would believe it? Who could? What was Joseph going to think? How could she explain that she carried the Savior of the world? Who could she tell? All questions, no answers. It would even be several weeks before her body started giving her signs that it hadn't all just been a dream. But she had the Holy Spirit in her soul and she was willing to go forward full of optimism. 

The history of Christianity is full of examples of individuals who have accomplished great things with no human possibilities of doing it, hoping and trusting in Jesus Christ. St. Francis left behind everything, literally, and started a congregation with the express intent of never having anything. Mother Theresa started the Missionaries of Charity in the poorest slums of Calcutta, India, without really intending to do it. And another example is that of Fr Marcial Maciel who founded the Legionaries of Christ in Mexico City, with 13 high school boys, when he was only a 20-year-old seminarian. 

But all of these accomplishments, and many, many more, are just reflections of that first act of pure hope made by Mary of Nazareth by which salvation entered into the world. 

2. "For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed." 

Again, brave words from a poor peasant girl. And again, the only thing she had to show to prove it was the promise of an angel. When humanly her world should have been falling in around her and she should have been on the brink of desperation, Mary was exuberant with joy and happiness. 

The difference was that Mary was overflowing with the supernatural virtue of Hope. Mary was full of the Holy Spirit, she was now living in the supernatural in every moment of her day. Mary had Christ continually physically present with her for nine months. 

And that is what gave this young girl from Nazareth, from the backwaters of the Roman Empire, the courage and hope to proclaim that all generations would call her blessed. Humanly speaking, she had no reason to even dream it. She had no experience of what the "whole world" was or for that matter even the "Roman Empire". She had no concept of what "changing the world" meant and certainly no plans for trying to do it. Many Bible scholars and experts in Jewish culture doubt she could even read. 

Such is the strength of true faith in God. A person who really believes in God is capable of recognizing that his presence does change reality. His values can give a new and fuller meaning to the worst human tragedies. If we are truly his children and we are truly called to live all eternity with him, then the external and internal sufferings that the world and our life bring us can become cause for a deeper joy and happiness, even in the midst of our tears. It may seem contradictory, and from a merely human point of view, it is. But the truth is, after Mary and the Child she brought into the world, no one will ever be able to claim that they are in a more desperate situation. No true Christian will ever be able to reach a state of total desperation or dire sadness. Not only have Mary and Jesus suffered and overcome more difficulties, injustices and tragedies than any other person who has or ever will walk the face of the earth, but they are also present and desirous to help us and strengthen us in every moment of our life. They will never leave us abandoned. 

Indeed, Mary had the hope to proclaim that all generations would call her blessed. And the most amazing thing is that she was right. 

3. "The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name." 

Two thousand years after the fact, we have to agree. God did do great things in Mary. Through her, his Son became man. Through her, the eternal salvation of every person ever born was made possible. Greater things have never been done in a human being. But when Mary first proclaimed these words, she had no human reason at all to do so. And this again is a model and cause of hope for us. Christian hope is, after all, a hope for eternal life. It is not hope for a comfortable life, for health, a happy family, and many other good and legitimate desires. It is a firm conviction that in spite of my human failures, tragedies and weaknesses, if I strive with every act of my life to love Christ as he has asked me to, I will make it to heaven and be happy with him for all eternity. It is the realization that the greatest thing that could ever happen to me, my salvation, my eternal life, has already been obtained for me by the Mighty One, by Jesus Christ. I simply have to love him. That is the hope we see in Mary, the Model of Hope. And because of that hope, in spite of seemingly insurmountable difficulties, Mary is truly the happiest person the world has ever known. 

4. My Hope 

We, too, share in that same presence of Christ that Mary had when we receive Communion. That is precisely why Christ chose to stay with us in the Eucharist until the end of time. He knew that we would feel weak, we would be scared, filled with doubt, that we would often fail in our efforts to do good. But in spite of all my weaknesses and sins, my failures and omissions I should never despair or become depressed. I am a Christian, I carry Christ inside me, he abides in my heart. I have Christ's promise of sharing eternal life with him in Heaven. If I ever lose him or betray him, I can come back and receive forgiveness, and renew his presence. That knowledge and certainty is hope, and hope is the gate to eternity. 

Follow Mary, imitate her hope. God will never ask anyone to do something as great as he asked of Mary. The greatest act of hope the world will ever know has already been accomplished and fulfilled. We need only participate in that act, unite ourselves to it and to Mary who is watching over us from Heaven. God can do great things in me because he has already done the greatest feat possible, he became man in the womb of Mary. 

Questionnaire: To help you to examine your life, in the light of what God has put in your heart in these moments you gave him in prayer. 

1. How do I show that I really believe in what Christ did for me? 

2. How do I express my belief in his promise to give me eternal life? 

3. Do I think beyond this world, to heaven and to eternity? 

4. What am I doing to share my hope in Jesus Christ with others?