Madrid and Mary's Song

Madrid and Mary's Song

 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 forever.”

Luke 1:46-55  (NRSV)

On Friday an estimated half a million people marched through the streets of Madrid, Spain, as a statement about addressing climate change. As we know, the United Nations COP25 conference is taking place in Madrid, so this march was both solidarity with the overall intent as well as a counter-statement to the ineffectiveness and inaction of these conferences.

It was a grass-roots uprising which included many thousands of young people who aren't yet of an age when they can participate in elections, and Greta Thunberg was at the fore. There are plenty of people who disparage Thunberg and scoff at these FridaysForFutre events. From my perspective they are "the proud in the thoughts of their hearts" who are committed to ways of seeing the world which are not only misguided for our time but highly destructive.

The Magnificat, or Mary's Song of Praise, in Luke's gospel is usually a lectionary option for the Advent Season and this year the words of the teen chosen by God to be the Christ-bearer can stir us to a new incarnational vision for all of Creation.