Our Magnificat
The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner (Wikimedia Commons)
Part 3 of 3 parts
Editor’s Note: This three-part series, Faith brings us to witness like Mary, is taken from Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips, and Testimonies by Nancy HC Ward. The series includes Part 1: Encounter with the Lord, Part 2:, Moved to witness and and Part 3:Our Magnificat. Enjoy!
We, too, can trust God and say “yes” to our calling as evangelists. Our authentic witness begins with our openness to the Holy Spirit. That vulnerability leads to a holy encounter that changes us so that our witness flows from our relationship with Jesus. Knowing and pondering our story clarifies it and fills us with joy that overflows to others. We can bring the presence of Jesus within us into the world with humility and joy, through the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit.
Like Mary, when we share our story, we see how God intervened and steered us to the path he planned for our greatest happiness. Then our deepest beliefs naturally emerge in joyful praise—like Mary’s Magnificat:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . . for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46–47, 49)
With faith surging from an unshakable trust in God, Mary encountered God, who transformed her into the Mother of God and the first evangelist, the first to share the presence of Jesus within her. Our trickle of faith can lead us to a God-moment and begin our transformation into an evangelist sparkling with that joy of Emmanuel, God our Savior with us, as Mary did. In her, we find the example of persistent faith to trust God, the courage to ask him questions, and the grace to commit our lives to him. He narrates our story to draw us closer to him and prepare us to share with those he brings into the course of our lives.
Mary was an extraordinary evangelist, filled with the Holy Spirit. We are called as everyday evangelists with the grace of the Holy Spirit, as she was. Bishop Emeritus Sam Jacobs of Houma-Thibodaux, LA, in John Paul II and the New Evangelization, quotes Pope St. John Paul as saying:
“It is the grace of the Spirit that triggers the response of faith and deeper commitment in the person who freely chooses to say yes to Jesus’ call and plan. The evangelist is merely a chosen instrument in the hands of God, though an important one.” (44)
Ask Yourself: What response of deeper commitment is the grace of the Holy Spirit triggering in me? What unique faith story hides in my heart, waiting to fill me with joy?
