Inhale Grace, Exhale Gaudete

Dear Gaudete Gatherers,

I left something out of yesterday’s worship service. In my desire to portray John the Baptist as a Bible times social-media influencer (click here for the service and sermon), I realized it was necessary to jettison one traditional reading for the Third Sunday of Advent: Mary’s Magnificat. The intertwining of the ignition of the third, pink (rose) colored candle and Luke’s glorious aria placed in the voice of the Blessed Virgin deserves some recognition here in the Gaudete (rejoice) week of this preparatory season.

The candle’s color is an intentional mixture of the Christ Candle’s pure white and the other tapers' preparatory purple. Penance infused with grace brings joy—our labors are not in vain. Few know the depths of anticipation like an expectant mother.

In the text, Mary has entered the home of her cousin Elizabeth, who is also expecting a child, John (later known as The Baptist). Elizabeth’s baby kicks upon encountering the fruit of Mary’s womb, Jesus, and Elizabeth exclaims the phrase which later becomes part of the Rosary (again with the roses), “Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb [Jesus].” (ital. Luke 1.42b)

Mary then bursts into rhapsodic song (Luke 1.46-55), which begins, “My soul magnifies the Lord…” Syntax in English places the subject at the beginning of the sentence, but for emphasis both Latin and Greek begin with the verb (Μεγαλύνει, GRK and Magnificat, LA trans. Magnify) from which the poem receives its name. Mary then identifies the place of magnification, her soul (ψυχή [psyche], GRK and anima, LA), the place where today I find my musing.

Our interpretation of Magnificat suffers from the English word’s use in optics, something Mary would not have considered. It’s helpful to think of the word’s noun root, which in both Latin in Greek is megas, as in megamall, something familiar but expanded beyond all imagination. Psyche, however, suffers from post-19th century association with psychology, the study of the inner thoughts and ponderings of our ego. I doubt Mary spent any time on the couch of a therapist. The Latin word anima is more helpful, immediately seen in the English word animation, an act which brings things to life. “My life makes God bigger” could be a reasonable colloquial translation. But the underlying Greek word points to breath, not the breath-wind of pneuma, but the act of blowing like when one extinguishes a candle.

Consider then this simple meditation on Mary’s Magnificat: “With every exhale, God becomes even greater to me.”

Suggesting we remember to breathe this Advent, I remain,

With Love,
Jonathan Krogh
Your Pastor