Luke 1:46Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The virgin, fully confident in the truth of what had been prophesied to her, exalts the Lord, giving credit for the miracle not to her own merit, but to Him;...

For the Virgin, with lofty thoughts and deep penetration, contemplates the boundless mystery, the further she advances, magnifying God; And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord.

The phrases "to glorify God" do not imply that divine glory is conferred upon Him externally, nor does the phrase "sanctify the Lord" suggest that holiness is added to His essence. Similarly, the term "magnify God" does not indicate that majesty is granted to Him. Rather, the one who magnifies God embraces the communion of His majesty within themselves. This is evidenced by the declaration, "My soul magnifies the Lord." Those who understand that God does not receive gifts but rather bestows grace will find no difficulty in this concept.

As evil came into the world by a woman, so also is good introduced by women; and so it seems not without meaning, that both Elisabeth prophesies before John, and Mary before the birth of the Lord. But it follows, that as Mary was the greater person, so she uttered the fuller prophecy.

My spirit exalts, meaning it praises and honors. This declaration embodies the voice of a believer, expressing gratitude.

Who else reigns eternally in the lineage of Jacob except for Christ Jesus our Lord, the Son of the Most High? Through the law and the prophets, He vowed to disclose His salvation to all humanity, taking on the form of man so that humanity could become children of God. Mary, filled with joy, prophetically proclaimed the truth of the Church, saying, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His servant, and He has remembered His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever" (Luke 1:46, Luke 1:54, 55). Through these words and others like them, the Gospel affirms that the same God who communicated with the patriarchs is the One who delivered the law through Moses, by which we understand that He indeed spoke to the ancestors.

Now if the Lord could neither receive increase or decrease, what is this that Mary speaks of, My soul doth magnify (magnificat) the Lord? But if I consider that the Lord our Saviour is the image of the invisible God, and that the soul is created according to His image, so as to be an image of an image, then I shall see plainly, that as after the manner of those who are accustomed to paint images, each one of us forming his soul after the image of Christ, makes it great or little, base or noble, after the likeness of the original; so when I have made my soul great in thought, word, and deed, the image of God is made great, and the Lord Himself, whose image it is, is magnified in my soul.

As if she said, Marvellous things hath the Lord declared that He will accomplish in my body, but neither shall my soul be unfruitful before God. It becomes me to offer Him the fruit also of my will, for inasmuch as I am obedient to a mighty miracle, am I bound to glorify Him who performs His mighty works in me.

The Holy Orthodox Church has consistently affirmed that the Holy Spirit came upon the pure Virgin, who is referred to as the Mother of God, the Bride who transcends earthly unions. This Virgin is pure by nature and beyond nature’s purity, endowed with divine grace. The profound experience of divine grace separated her from carnal delights and fostered in her a profound and resolute disinterest in worldly pleasures. Such should be the character of a worthy temple of God, a spiritual sanctuary and the throne of the Almighty. Misguided thoughts often lead to a series of other erroneous beliefs. The Roman Catholics, by declaring the Mother of God free from original sin, have unwittingly asserted that she is entirely free from all sin, rendering her unnecessary for redemption or a Redeemer.

Mary’s expression has become abundant, yet this outpouring is anything but excessive. The depth of her heartfelt words is particularly astonishing considering her silence while at home. Since the moment of the Annunciation, she must have harbored countless thoughts and emotions, yet she shared none of these with anyone—including Joseph, who remains unaware of them. Disclosing this secret to him would not constitute a breach of divine mystery. Now, praises of God resonate from her mouth, akin to fragrance emanating from a precious vessel. Mary's song emerges as a spontaneous and heartfelt gratitude to God. This moment of praise springs from God’s unmerited mercy, as she notes, and the mercy destined for Israel, which must flow through her Son.

Upon hearing the commendations from her relative, Mary reflects deeply on her humble position and acknowledges God's grace that dwells within her. In an extraordinary hymn, she articulates her love, thankfulness, and modesty, a composition that the Church recites each morning at Matins. This hymn reveals a depth of emotion, thought, and expression that transcends the works of the ancient prophets. Within it, the Holy Virgin exalts God for His boundless compassion and offers Him all honor.

We possess, my brethren, only a few words of the Mother of God that were recorded in the Gospels, and these speak of God's glory. She was silent before men, but her soul spoke unceasingly with God. Every day and every hour she found a new reason and occasion to glorify God.

You give birth, O Mary, to the incarnate Word of God, and you also bring forth another expression of adoration, one inspired by the very Spirit of God and the other from the deep within your womb. Both magnify, meaning they exalt and glorify.

Concealing the divine secret revealed by the angel from everyone, including Joseph, the Blessed Virgin resolved to confide solely in her elderly relative Elizabeth, embarking on a significant journey for this purpose. However, she was filled with wonder when, upon their initial encounter, before she could express her joy or even utter more than the customary greetings, she heard Elizabeth’s inspired words; they echoed the angel's announcement and acknowledged her uniquely as the Mother of the Lord. She also learned that Elizabeth, long barren and advanced in age, was to become a mother! It became evident to the Blessed Virgin that God had already disclosed her secret to Elizabeth.

And Mary began to speak. Until that moment, she had remained silent, but now her voice emerged. The profound and exceptional joy within her was difficult to articulate. Mary had not yet fully grasped the magnitude of the blessings that had been bestowed upon her. The encouragement from Elizabeth opened her mouth, and she proclaimed a magnificent hymn of thanksgiving to God, inspired by the Psalms and the song of the prophetess Anna.

Mary, filled with a joyful and ecstatic spirit in response to the extraordinary events that had transpired, and surrounded by her enthusiastic friends filled with the Holy Spirit, expressed a beautiful hymn from her soul in honor of God and the future Savior of humanity. This hymn, echoing the lyrical style and essence of the songs sung by figures such as Hannah, the mother of Samuel, Miriam, the sister of Moses, the prophetess Deborah, and some of the psalms of David (Ps. 113 and Ps. 126), is comprised of four stanzas. Its theme centers on celebrating God's mercy (Lk. 1:48), His omnipotence (Lk. 1:49-51), His holiness (Lk. 1:49, 51, 54), righteousness (Lk. 1:52, 53), and particularly the unwavering faithfulness of Jehovah to His covenant (Lk. 1:54, 55). The term ‘Magnifies’ encapsulates the act of feeling and proclaiming, or, in other words, glorifying the greatness of God, which is now most profoundly revealed in the mystery of the incarnation of the Redeemer, now both announced and manifested.

On Wednesday, a service is held in reverence of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of Christ and the Most Blessed Theotokos. The Prokeimenon echoes the words of the Mother of God: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. Verse: For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden; for behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. Through these words, the Virgin Mary joyfully exalts the Lord, who, despite her profound humility, has elevated her to a position of great honor, ensuring that all nations will henceforth recognize her as the Mother of God.