Next time you recite the Magnificat

[Roseeurekacross]

Think of the role this canticle plays in placing hope firmly with the oppressed, poor, marginalised for the love and mercy of God to lift them up.
The Magnificat speaks of reversal and victory of people as in the saying of Jesus ‘ those first will be last, and last first.’

The Magnificat has had a history of restriction and banning when viewed as dangerously subversive.

“During the British rule of India, the Magnificat was prohibited from being sung in church.
In the 1980s, Guatemala’s government discovered Mary’s words about God’s preferential love for the poor to be too dangerous and revolutionary. The song had been creating quite the stirring amongst Guatemala’s impoverished masses. Mary’s words were inspiring the Guatemalan poor to believe that change was indeed possible. Thus their government banned any public recitation of Mary’s words. Similarly, after the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—whose children all disappeared during the Dirty War—placed the Magnificat’s words on posters throughout the capital plaza, the military junta of Argentina outlawed any public display of Mary’s song.

The German theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer recognized the revolutionary nature of Mary’s song. Before being executed by the Nazis, Bonheoffer spoke these words in a sermon during Advent 1933:

“The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings.…This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind.”*

Pray loudly the song of Mary in the company of her cousin Elizabeth.

 

[adgloriam]

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Is indeed subversive, and through prayer let us ask Our Lord to do all necessary subversion for us.

I didn’t know the history of the Magnificat having been outlawed although I knew very clearly that powerful dimension of the prayer.

 

[Roseeurekacross]

It’s just amazing to me to know this song of Mary’s was banned in public in places where liberation was an issue.

It says so much about the context and faith and hope in this canticle

 

[paperwight]

I find it difficult to believe that the Magnificat was banned during the British Raj in India, as it is part of the Anglican Service of Evensong, along with the Nunc Dimittis.

 

[Roseeurekacross]

When we delve deeply into the parables and miracles of Jesus, and the action of Mary in saying Yes to God in the climate of first century Mediterranean, and look at the reversal , its easy to understand how such a significant prayer and canticle can be seen as dangerous and subversive to dominant controlling powers.

To illustrate this reversal or radical reformation, take a parable like the tax collector and the pharisee.

The pharisee is , in society, an upright pious and prayerful person who follows the law and does what is right. The tax collector , as we know , was not considered worthy, he worked a very undesirable occupation and was shunned by the Jewish people. He collected money for the Romans
So it was expected, in hearing the parable of Luke 18:9-14
that God would hear the prayer of the pharisee and not that of the tax collector.

Jesus teaches that God justifies the tax collector, he was genuine and humble. The Pharisee was being prideful , and ego driven.

Thats an example of the reversal in the actions of Jesus. Another example is in the healing Jesus performs, sometimes in the Temple, on outcasts, sometimes on the sabbath, to the disgust of the ruling class of Priests.

Mary in singing her canticle with Elizabeth is reciting words of reversal too, and in the climate of first century roman oppression , is singing a revolutionary song, here is the promised Messiah that Yahweh has said will lift us up and get us out of our tribulation and right now, thats because of the Romans.

Jesus taught that social injustice would be equalled out in the kingdom of God that was now at hand. ‘the First will be last and the last first’ for example.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

It was indeed banned by the British authorities. Around 1805, Anglican missionaries arriving in India were quite upset to discover this, for the very reason you mention.

 

[GLam1761]

Here is a church service in a home in the
Philippines(?) singing the Magnificat, it is
quite moving to watch: