Mothering Sunday, The Mothers of Ukraine and the Magnificat
The name mothering derives from the mid-lent custom of apprentices or those in service visiting their old homes and honouring their mothers with presents. Christians today would, perhaps, think of three mothers – our own mother, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Mother Church. But sadly for many mothers today it will not be question of deciding whom shall they visit, but deciding whether to leave home and set off to who knows where, or perhaps for the luckier ones it will be a question of setting off to visit or stay with a relative in a far distant land, or even a stranger who they may met on social media who has offered a room or two in their own home. I am speaking, of course, of all those mothers and children fleeing out of Ukraine. It is thought that over 3 million have left the country and in total some 10 million, a quarter of the population will have been dispersed with many trying to settle in a safer part of the country.
On Mothering Sunday I like to talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus and her song the Magnificat which comes from the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 1, verse 46). It is of course included in the Evensong service as one of the Canticles and I am sure most of you are familiar with it. This beautiful song falls into four parts – First, Mary magnifies God for his Goodness, secondly that Goodness is available for all God’s people, thirdly, there is a vindication of God’s justice in giving hope to the oppressed against the oppressor and fourthly and finally we have the fulfilment of God’s promise to all the children of Abraham.
Looking at the song in a little more detail, it begins with a great emphasis in praise of the Lord (My soul does magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my saviour). The words souls and spirit are interchangeable and perhaps it would be helpful if we made a distinction between Mary’s continuing magnifying of the Lord and the fact that she rejoiced when the angel brought his great message of her forthcoming birth. So this first sentence may be understood to be saying Mary’s soul or spirit continually magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her Saviour when she heard the great news of her being highly favoured to give birth to Jesus – the one who will reign over the house of David for ever.
Then from her thankfulness for what God has done Mary dwells on three things. In the words of the commentator Leon Morris these three things are God’s power, His holiness and His mercy. She sees herself as insignificant (you remember the phrase lowliness of his handmaiden) – handmaiden is another word for servant girl but she is also aware that the Mighty One is at work. He is holy and in this sense holy stands for the whole person, that is the God she worships is the one only Holy God. And then for every generation his mercy is certain for those who exhibit reverence towards him[i]. Today there must be many mothers who having safely reached their destination out of Ukraine will be giving thanks to God – that it is the God of the mainly Greek Orthodox, or even in some cases, the Russian Orthodox church matters not at all – ultimately it is the one true God we all worship.
Then we come to the third of the items I mentioned earlier – the vindication of God’s justice in dealing with the oppressed against the oppressors. (He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meek.) Now it is possible that Mary is looking back to specific occasions when God had demonstrated this strength against the oppressors or it is possible that she is looking ahead and referring to acts in the future which are yet to be fulfilled. Or, again in the words of Morris “it is perhaps more likely that she is looking forward in a spirit of prophecy and counting what God will do as so certain that it can be spoken of as accomplished”. This is of course a technique widely used in the books of the prophets. Although at that time the rich were satisfied and the poor were hungry, Mary sings of God who is unimpressed with what people do at the present, and who in time reverses the present order – filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away – quite a revolutionary statement for those times. In Ukraine many will be hoping the oppressed (the defending forces in the Country) will succeed against the mighty (the forces of Mr. Putin). Also in Ukraine many will have escaped from places where fresh water and food are extremely scarce to places of relative abundance
And then finally we come to the fourth of the themes – the fulfilment of God’s promises. It is thought the clause “has helped his servant Israel” means that Mary was thinking of the help that was to come through the work and life of the Messiah. The reference to Abraham reinforces the idea that God’s action in the Messiah is not going to be something completely new, but is entirely in line with the promises given to the fathers of old times.
Finally, the writer of Luke tells us that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned to her own home: that is she left before John was born.
No doubt being pregnant herself she wished to avoid all the excitement of the birth of Elizabeth’s son.
William Barclay as he so often did, summarises this beautiful canticle by writing ‘a non Christian society is an acquisitive society where people are out for as much as they can get. A Christian society is a society where no one dares have too much, while others have too little, where everyone must get, only to give away. There is loveliness in the Magnificat but in that loveliness there is dynamite. Christianity brings about a revolution in individuals and revolution in the world’[ii].
That, of course, is the ideal.
So there we have it a swift look at one of the most succinct and beautiful passages in the New Testament – and today we can read into it so many references that can be applied to the mothers of Ukraine – for putting down the oppressors to helping the hungry and the lowly. No wonder that it is of such importance that it has been given a permanent place in our liturgy because, as the first canticle in the office of Evensong it occupies the prominent position it fully deserves.
But at this time it is mothers, and especially the mothers of Ukraine, who occupy that prominent position, particularly those many mothers who are in transit across Europe. And it is motherhood itself which is being honoured in the Magnificat – a tribute to mothers everywhere.
Dr David Greenwood. D.greenwood@uwtsd.ac.uk March 2022
[i] Morris The Revd Canon Dr Leon. Luke – an introduction and commentary. Leicester Inter-Varsity Press in conjunction with Eerdmans Publishing Company of Michigan. 1990. P.81
[ii] Barclay, Professor William. The Gospel of Luke. Edinburgh. Saint Andrew Press 2001. P.20
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