Finding love

Gospel: Lk 1:46-56

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122223.cfm

In other translations, this passage begins with Mary saying “My heart magnifies the Lord.” As we grow in our relationship with God, we gain a deeper understanding of God. It is not that God has changed, but our perception of God has been elevated. Our hearts magnify the Lord. We grow in love.

Love has an object. We can love nature, we can love other people, we can love God. As we grow in that love, we deepen our understanding of the other as if the other goes through a transformation. But it’s not the other that’s being transformed but us. Our love opens us to recognize the image of God in others and creation. It leads us to more fully understand God.

As the passage continues, Mary expresses how Jesus will transform the human power structure: the rich, powerful, and prideful will be taken down and the lowly and the hungry will be lifted up. This is how love works. With love, we see beyond these power structures to connect with the soul of the person. Love liberates us. Love empowers us to see what is truly there beyond the noise that often distracts us.

During this time of Advent, try to see beyond the noise that gets in the way. The noise can be a sense of obligation, expectation, anger, fear, conflict, or anything that truly limits us from seeing each other in the image and likeness of God. In the cacophony that can be found in the holiday, embrace moments of inner silence and find the love that is happening around you. Take that inner silence with you to help reduce the noise around you to help others find that love around them too.