Mary's Magnificat and Benedict XVI

Happy Feast of the Assumption!

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant

"After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord." ~ Benedict XVI, Urbi et Orbi blessing

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

"Let us move forward in the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side." ~Benedict XVI

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation

"To support me in this promise, I invoke the maternal intercession of Most Holy Mary, in whose hands I place the present and the future of my person and the Church." ~ Benedict XVI's address to Cardinals after his election.

He has shown the strength of his arm
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

In a meditation on Psalm 130, the Pope observed that proud people see themselves as superior to others, and arrogate to themselves the authority "like God, to judge good and evil." The psalm decries that attitude, and offers the contrasting image of a believer who puts all his trust in God, recognizing his own weakness.

He has come to the help fo this servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

The Christian, Pope Benedict continues, abandons himself to God, finding in Christ his "security, life, and peace." The Pontiff encouraged his listeners to rely on God's grace rather than their own strength, observing: "No one is too big to be a child of God."