There’s an old photograph of Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. She’s almost 70 years old in the picture and is sitting down because she is tired from a long day’s march with Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United Farm Workers. As she looks up at a circle of policemen standing around her, hands on their holsters, her calm face shows no fear. Despite the threat of violence from these “so-called peacekeepers,” she will not be intimidated nor will she abandon her work or her witness on behalf of the poor. There is the look of strong resolve for her mission on her face. She is strong despite her vulnerability because of her attachment to others who are also vulnerable and oppressed.
This passage in Luke 1, containing “the Magnificat,” is the response of this strong, young woman. Some scholars have wondered if Mary had her Old Testament Scriptures open as she gave her response her canticle flows right out of the Old Testament. And so, when Mary does find her voice, the words gush forth in a torrent of wonder and praise. It is a cathartic moment as she releases her most deeply held emotions. She may have been young, but she was filled with courage.
Pastor Keith Herron
