Embracing hope

My soul trembles in the presence of the loving Creator

and my spirit prepares itself to walk hand in hand

with the God who saves Israel

because I have been accepted by God…

…Holy is the place within me where God lives.

God's tender fingers reach out from age to age

to touch the softened inner spaces of those

who open their souls in hope.

From Magnificat of Acceptance, Mary Francis, P.C.C.

Mary Francis’ reworking of The Magnificat picks up some of the themes that make the Season of Advent so rich. Advent commenced on Sunday December 1 and covers the four Sundays leading up to Christmass.

The Magnificat is a song of praise that the writer of the Gospel according to Luke places on the lips of Mary in Luke 1. Mary meets up with her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also pregnant, against the odds. Her baby comes to be known as John the Baptist. Through the song, Mary celebrates the presence and work of God in her and Elizabeth’s lives and then proclaims the fact that God desires flourishing and justice for all.

Mary Francis’ poem reminds us that the God whom we praise for taking an interest in the poor and lowly, invites us to use our feet, hands and voices to enact the vision God holds for the world. By walking hand in hand with God, the loving creator, we become agents in God’s unfolding Commonwealth. Like Mary, each of us, as people accepted by God, is called to play our part. 

One of the themes we reflect on during the First Sunday of Advent is hope. To be a person of hope is to be open to the idea that the world can be other than it is. Mary Francis even goes so far as to suggest that embracing hope is one of the things that can soften our hearts and create the space for God to operate in our lives.

Peace,

Peter+