Favor on His Lowly Servant

May 31, 2008
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals. Zephaniah 3:17-18
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." Luke 1:45
Piety
Isaiah 12
On this day, I will say, “I give you thanks, O LORD; though you have been angry with me for my sinfulness, your anger has abated, and you have consoled me.”
God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation,
and say on that day: Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/053108.shtml
Zephaniah is one of the final books of the Hebrew Bible (only three others follow it to the end) that we have before the birth of Christ ushers in the Good News. The notes to the NAB tell us that during the time when this book was written and passed down, there had been a period of religious degradation, when the old idolatries reappeared and men worshiped sun, moon, and stars. Rites completely alien to the pure monotheism taught by Moses flourished in Jerusalem. To the corrupt city Zephaniah announced the impending judgment, the day of the Lord.
In today’s first reading, we learn that despite Judah's infidelities, the Lord in his mercy will spare a holy remnant, which will finally enjoy peace. The prophecy closes with a hymn of joy sung by the remnant restored to Zion. Another hymn of joy greets us in Luke Gospel about the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Despite thousands of years waiting, the Lord picks this unlikely time to finally reappear on Earth. Mary greets the news and her sister in song.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me blessed:the Almighty has done great things for me,and holy is his Name.”

Today’s Gospel introduces the blessed nature of Mary, a characteristic that Jesus emphasizes later in Luke Gospel. First, we hear the virtue established by Elizabeth.

“Blessed are you who believedthat what was spoken to you by the Lordwould be fulfilled.”

A lesson in this for me is that Mary, upon hearing the words of the angel acted upon them. Mary acted upon them first through her acceptance of the wishes of God and then by following through to visit Elizabeth. She thus heard the word of God, believed it and accepted it.

Following that, Jesus’ intimate bond with Mary and her saintly character is based on much more than just the parental-birth relationship. It extends from the humility and obedience that Mary portrays to us in her life and actions. Jesus affirms this extended relationship and her blessed character when he proclaims: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." Luke 8:21

That means we can truly experience the Sonship of Jesus by acting as Mary did – by listening for the word of God and acting upon it. Through our piety and study we can be tuned in to what God may have to say to us. But our relationship with Jesus as a brother can not end there. It must be carried through to the third leg of the tripod.
Action
How can we look with favor on his lowly servants?
The canticle of Mary prefigures the central themes of the entire Gospel of Luke – a proclamation to the poor and lowly that God is here to improve their life. It also carries forth a message to the rich and powerful that they must be marked by love in action toward their sisters and brothers who are poor. Rich or poor, it is up to us to take responsibility for those around us who are poor – poor in spirit, poor in material wealth, and more. When in Luke 6 we hear the Sermon on the Plain, we hear the very prescription of what Jesus wants us to hear and act upon.
In today’s newspaper, we can read about people who put their personal freedom on the line to speak out and speak up on behalf of prisoners held for many years in the U.S. military prison on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Guantánamo has become the most visible symbol of U.S. human rights abuses in the name of the "war on terror."
No longer are the voices crying out for fair treatment of these detainees being sounded by hooded protestors outside of the Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International and Hollywood celebrities on the red carpet during Oscar night in March. Other prominent voices include Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Warren Christopher, and Madeleine Albright. Yes, five former secretaries of state who served presidents from both parties. It is one of the few questions on which Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain all agree.
Please let your Congressional delegation and the President know your feelings about closing Guantanamo Bay. Consider signing this petition.