Mary's Song of Praise

⁣The
canticle of the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:46–55

Mary’s Song

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me
blessed,

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for
me — holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their
inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

Structure

In a style reminiscent of Old Testament poetry
and song, Mary praises the Lord in alignment with this structure:

Mary rejoices that she has the privilege of

giving birth to the promised Messiah (Luke 1:46–48).

She glorifies God for His power, holiness, and
mercy (Luke 1:49–50).

Mary looks forward to God transforming the world
through the Messiah. The proud will be brought low, and the humble will be
lifted up; the hungry will be fed, and the rich will go without (Luke 1:51–53).

Mary exalts God because He has been faithful to
His promise to Abraham (Luke 1:54–55; see God's promise to Abraham in Gen
12:1-3).[5] Wikipedia