FAUSTI - MAGNIFICAT, with which the Church concludes Vespers every day, is the song of those who have experienced the salvation "today". It is a song of praise, like that of Anna (1Sam 2), which sees the realization of the promise. It expresses the bliss of those who have recognized the action of God in his favor, bursting from the heart of those who have welcomed his Lord. It is a personal hymn, universal and cosmic at the same time. Mary is the mouth of the daughter of Zion, of all humanity and of the whole creation that sees the promise of God fulfilled, the greatest of all fame (Ps 138:2). It is the New Song that burst forth from the new man. God's action culminates in the singing of man. For he who loves sings and love rests only when he is loved. The end of the whole story will be a song of endless joy. This song, anticipated by Mary, is the mature fruit of listening of faith, in which the meaning of creation and history is fully revealed. The Magnificat is a compendium of the history of salvation, which describes the action of God - the exact counterpoint of the human one - through a hundred quotations and biblical allusions. The first part is Mary's thanksgiving for what God has accomplished in Her. The second part extends to all men the action that God has performed in Her, described in seven affirmations. The Song of Mary, occasioned by the beatitude proclaimed by Elizabeth, has the same melody as the Beatitudes (Lk 6, 20-26).
READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of Revelation RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One."
Second reading from the First letter to Corinthians 1 COR 15:20-27
Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for "he subjected everything under his feet."
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Luke LK 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
And Mary said:
"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. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever."
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER We heard the Song of Mary, the Magnificat: it is the song of hope, it is the song of the People of God walking through history. It is the song many saints, men and women, some famous, and very many others unknown to us but known to God: mums, dads, catechists, missionaries, priests, sisters, young people, even children and grandparents: these have faced the struggle of life while carrying in their heart the hope of the little and the humble. Mary says: “My souls glorifies the Lord” – today, the Church too sings this in every part of the world. (Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 15 August 2013)
FAUSTI - MAGNIFICAT, with which the Church concludes Vespers every day, is the song of those who have experienced the salvation "today". It is a song of praise, like that of Anna (1Sam 2), which sees the realization of the promise. It expresses the bliss of those who have recognized the action of God in his favor, bursting from the heart of those who have welcomed his Lord.
RispondiEliminaIt is a personal hymn, universal and cosmic at the same time.
Mary is the mouth of the daughter of Zion, of all humanity and of the whole creation that sees the promise of God fulfilled, the greatest of all fame (Ps 138:2).
It is the New Song that burst forth from the new man.
God's action culminates in the singing of man. For he who loves sings and love rests only when he is loved.
The end of the whole story will be a song of endless joy.
This song, anticipated by Mary, is the mature fruit of listening of faith, in which the meaning of creation and history is fully revealed.
The Magnificat is a compendium of the history of salvation, which describes the action of God - the exact counterpoint of the human one - through a hundred quotations and biblical allusions.
The first part is Mary's thanksgiving for what God has accomplished in Her.
The second part extends to all men the action that God has performed in Her, described in seven affirmations.
The Song of Mary, occasioned by the beatitude proclaimed by Elizabeth, has the same melody as the Beatitudes (Lk 6, 20-26).
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Revelation
RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One."
Second reading from the First letter to Corinthians
1 COR 15:20-27
Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for "he subjected everything under his feet."
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 1:39-56
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."
And Mary said:
"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.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
We heard the Song of Mary, the Magnificat: it is the song of hope, it is the song of the People of God walking through history. It is the song many saints, men and women, some famous, and very many others unknown to us but known to God: mums, dads, catechists, missionaries, priests, sisters, young people, even children and grandparents: these have faced the struggle of life while carrying in their heart the hope of the little and the humble. Mary says: “My souls glorifies the Lord” – today, the Church too sings this in every part of the world. (Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 15 August 2013)