The 7 attributes of God
prayed by Mary in the Magnificat
Mary’s acknowledgement of
God’s greatness as she magnifies the Lord. (Psalm 103:1) tells us, "Praise
the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name," and
elsewhere we are told that out of the abundance of our heart, our mouths will
speak. Mary was filled with God and his grace; thus, she sang about God and his
attributes.
God Is Mighty…The first
attribute Mary speaks of is the might and power of God. He is the mighty God,
Ho Dunatos, and in Luke 1:49 she sings, "For the Mighty One has done great
things for me." Mary’s God was the Almighty God, the Creator of the ends
of the earth. There is no god mightier than her God. He alone is able to do all
things and with him alone nothing is impossible.
God Is Holy…The second
attribute Mary speaks about is God’s holiness. In verse 49 Mary declares,
"Holy is his name." Throughout the Scriptures God tells us, "Be
ye holy, for I am holy." God is light, and in him there is no darkness at
all. He is the One separate from us – that what it means sacred, holy! – the
One without sin.
God Is a Judge…The third
attribute of God that Mary speaks about in her hymn is that God is a judge. In
the latter part of Luke 1:51 she says, "He [God] has scattered those who
are proud in their innermost thoughts." Additionally, in verse 52 we find,
"He has brought down the mighty rulers from their thrones," and in
verse 53, "He has sent the rich away empty."
God Is Merciful…The fourth
attribute Mary speaks of is that God is merciful. The word "mercy"
appears five times in Luke 1—in verses 50, 54, 58, 72 and 78. Mary reveled in
the knowledge of this great attribute of God.
God Is a Covenant God…The fifth
attribute of God that Mary speaks of is that God is a covenant God. We must
realize that God does not have to enter into a covenant with a sinful man.
There is nothing in his being necessitating that he stoop down and promise
salvation to anybody. But the truth is, God did just that. He entered into a
covenant with Abraham, promising to show mercy to him and his descendants by
granting them salvation.
God Is Faithful to His
Covenant…If God promises through a covenant, he will fulfill it, because he is
the God of the covenant. The sixth attribute of God Mary speaks of in this
passage is the faithfulness of God to his covenant. Mary realized that what was
happening in her womb was the fulfillment of the age-old promise to Abraham,
that God was finally sending the divine Messiah, Jesus the Savior, the eternal
God incarnate. So she sang, "He has helped his servant Israel, remembering
to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our
fathers."
God Is the Savior…The final
attribute of God that Mary describes here is that God is her Savior. "My
soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." …and so
we pray together:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
A reminder about the Masses
at Christmas
Dec. 24th – 5pm, 7pm, 9:30pm
and 12 midnight
Dec. 25th – 9:30am and 11:30am
Fr. Phil
