Magnificat

This is the name given to the song of Mary in St Luke’s Gospel (1: 46-55), which begins in the Vulgate ‘Magnificat anima mea Dominum’. It is a song of thanks and praise, with particular emphasis on God’s favour to the poor and lowly (‘for he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden’, verse 48) and his commitment to social justice (‘he hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts’, verse 51, and ‘he hath put down the mighty from their seat; and hath exalted the humble and meek’, verse 52). To this pattern should be added a further element, that of Mary as representative of Israel (see New Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Magnificat’), who is...