In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth…. And Mary said…
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior…
You have brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
you have filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
Luke 1:39-56
NOW
Called Through the Awakenings of Today’s World
Creative God,
in this very moment,
you are calling each one of us
to magnify your good news.
Like Mary,
you formed us to be bold,
to lift up the lowly,
and cast down the powerful
in order to make the world
a more just place for all.
Awaken our senses as you awakened these children
to the people and places
most in need of our presence.
Focus our attention
particularly to the margins,
those who are too-often forgotten.
Gift us with the courage
to go out with haste
to embrace the new callings
emerging from the world today.
Amen.
- How do you see children responding to callings differently than adults?
- How is childlikeness a force in your own callings?
- Mary’s praise is focused on issues of justice—why do you think that particular focus captured Mary?
- When you feel stirred toward a new calling, do you mostly feel excitement or mostly feel anxiety/stress? Explain.