The Magnificat: The Fierce Feminine in the Gospel of Luke

The other day I was sharing some thoughts about Advent and the solstice and Hannukah and Kwanzaa, thoughts about the season we celebrate at this dark time of year in the northern hemisphere.  

And understandably, I invoked the “Magnificat” poem attributed to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel.  It may well be the strongest statement about love and justice in the entire Bible.  And it is said to be words from a simple woman and mother-to-be.  (That it was artfully put together by a person or team after she died is sort of beside the point.  That would mean that it fully represents the early generations of Christians who actually composed it.)

I was struck by how radical this one prayer is and how it inspires those today who are looking for justice.  As Clarissa Pinkola Estés puts it in her book Untie the Strong Woman, the Holy Mother appears to the wavering, the ragged, the wandering, the addicted, the heartbroken, the grieving, the tightrope walker, the leaper of chasms…the crosser of deserts, the heartfelt, the soulful, the child spirit.  She appears to all who have eyes to see, ears to hear, spirits to sense, hearts to love…She is La Luchadora, our tag-team wrestler.  She is the fierce Revolutionary who carries infinitely tender Love….we belong to her.  She belongs to us…entirely*.

A woman in the audience spoke up and told us that it was forbidden in South America by some of the despots there to speak about the Magnificat a few years ago because it smacked too much of liberation theology.

Here is Mary’s Magnificat that sounds like some to be too close to liberation theology.

And Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
And my spirit exults in God my savior;
Because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forever all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
And his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
He has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
–according to the promise he made to our ancestors—
Of her mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’  (Lk 1. 8-56)

This message would seem to be a good antidote to those who want to displace democracy with autocracy and a government of, by and for the people with a government of, by and for billionaires.  Or for those who want to sentimentalize religion.

And for those who choose to remain in denial about climate change and eager to pour more fossil fuels into the atmosphere choking the life out of Mother Earth.  Those choosing to make a fast buck on “drill, baby drill,” rather than making the sacrifices to turn back global warming.

It almost seems like the antichrist and antimary can be running in tandem at this time in history.  That Patriarchy and Mary are wrapped in a fierce battle.

Which side are you on?

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*Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD, Untie the Strong Woman, back cover.

See Matthew Fox, “On Desentimentalizing Spirituality,” in Fox, Wresting with the Prophets, pp. 297-316.

And Fox, “The Feminine Face of Divinity” and “Wisdom: Another Feminine Face of the Divine,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 117-156.

And Fox, “Sacred Marriages of Masculine and Feminine,” in Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 221-248.

And Fox, Christian Mystics.

And Fox, Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the Unnameable God, pp. 59-70.

And Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election.

Banner image: Sculpture of Mother Mary in Sioux City, Iowa. Photo by Chris Light in Wikimedia Commons.

Queries for Contemplation

How does Mary’s Magnificat speak to you in this historical time?  Do you fine the fierce feminine supporting you and Mother Earth and a world without war alongside the healthy masculine and alternatives to patriarchy?

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Recommended Reading

Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life

In one of his foundational works, Fox engages with some of history’s greatest mystics, philosophers, and prophets in profound and hard-hitting essays on such varied topics as Eco-Spirituality, AIDS, homosexuality, spiritual feminism, environmental revolution, Native American spirituality, Christian mysticism, Art and Spirituality, Art as Meditation, Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism and more.

One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths

Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine

To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature,  to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God

Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations

As Matthew Fox notes, when an aging Albert Einstein was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “I wish I had read more of the mystics earlier in my life.” The 365 writings in Christian Mystics represent a wide-ranging sampling of these readings for modern-day seekers of all faiths — or no faith. The visionaries quoted range from Julian of Norwich to Martin Luther King, Jr., from Thomas Merton to Dorothee Soelle and Thomas Berry.
“Our world is in crisis, and we need road maps that can ground us in wisdom, inspire us to action, and help us gather our talents in service of compassion and justice. This revolutionary book does just that. Matthew Fox takes some of the most profound spiritual teachings of the West and translates them into practical daily mediations. Study and practice these teachings. Take what’s in this book and teach it to the youth because the new generation cannot afford to suffer the spirit and ethical illiteracy of the past.” — Adam Bucko, spiritual activist and co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless Youth.

A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice

In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our deepest consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register