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.”– Luke 1:46-55

The verses above are referred to as the Magnificat a.k.a. the Canticle of Mary. Having traveled to the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah, being received with such joy and as “the mother of my Lord” by her pregnant relative, and, at the sound of her voice, also by the baby in her womb, Mary is given the gift of confirmation of what the angel, Gabriel, had revealed to her:

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son
of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.” – Luke 1:35-37

In Mary’s response, we see words of praise and declarations of the goodness of God. Imagine what it was like to be present at that moment?

Now, think of a time when your heart was overflowing with gratitude. What was going on and how did you respond?

As you continue to reflect and pray, in what ways have you, or can you continue to be inspired by this deeply felt experience of gratitude?

Turning to the Gospel for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Matthew 15:21-28, we have the Canaanite woman turning to Jesus, pleading for help her daughter who is not well. At the beginning of St. Luke’s account of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (the Gospel for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary), it is written:

During those days 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. – Luke 1:39-40

In contrast, at the beginning of this Sunday’s Gospel, it is written:

Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” – Matthew 15:21-22

Also, make note of the following:

Mary’s actions follow the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel is sent to her and she responds with a yes to God’s will for her.

Jesus’s actions follow an encounter with (or interrogation by) the pharisees and scribes about his disciples not following “the tradition of the elders” and in which he speaks of God’s will when he says to them:

“Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said:
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’” – Matthew 15:7-9

Take some time to consider what leads to or precedes your moments of “setting out” and “withdrawing” and where, or how, the will of God comes into play.

Returning to the Gospel and the Canaanite woman, it is written:

But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour. – Matthew 15:23-28

Take what you find most interesting about the responses/reactions of the Canaanite woman, the disciples, and Jesus and consider it from a traditional, cultural, “matter of fact, right/wrong, true/false” perspective. What do you notice?

Now take what you noticed and apply “the God of the Magnificat” (the God of mercy, strength, compassion, help, healing, fulfillment, covenant) perspective to it. What happens?

Pray with what you’re noticing at this moment and ask the Lord for insight, wisdom, and inspiration that you may carry into the coming days. How might your faith become more deeply magnificent?

What grace does the Lord want to bestow upon you?

Thus says the Lord:
Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is about to come,
my justice, about to be revealed.
The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the Lord,
and becoming his servants—
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation
and hold to my covenant,
them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples. – Isaiah 56:1, 6-7