Magnify

by Hannah Garrity,
Sanctified Art

Listen

Read Along

The  central image in this quilt square design is of Mary’s soul, an abstract and concentric shape that begins to look like an eye. It originates as an outward spiraling abstraction of the soul magnifying God. For Mary’s soul magnifies her creator. In her song, Mary honors her God who mirrors the life her son will live: lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry, coming to the aid of God’s people, bringing down the powerful, sending the rich away empty and scattering the proud.

It occurs to me that we are all Mary today, dreaming of a better world and working toward it through right relationships and healthy communities. So why does it seem that the world keeps falling apart? Where is the “arc of justice” of which Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke? Can you see it? Can you feel it? Why does it seem so far out of reach? Like Moses on the mountaintop, can you see the promised land? As global politics heat up, it feels so far away.

Mary is on the verge of delivering God’s depth and beauty into the world; God will be embodied by a child. Mary, the earthly mother of our incarnate God can see it. She can see hope, justice, and right relationships. In the Magnificat, she speaks the way of God into being, just before Jesus is born. Like my mother whispering in my ear when I was a child, calling forth whom I shall become, Mary speaks her dreams into existence.

Breathe deeply as you gaze upon the image on the right. Imagine placing yourself in this scene. What do you see? How do you feel? Get quiet and still, offering a silent or spoken prayer to God.