Mary’s great hymn of joy, the Magnificat, which is inspired by numerous Old Testament passages, especially the song of Hannah (1 Sam 2:1-10), celebrates the goodness and mercy of God to individuals and to Israel as a whole, emphasising that God comes to the help of the poor and simple, rather than to the proud and self-sufficient. When we pray the Magnificat, especially in the Evening Prayer of the Church, we too, like Mary, recall the great deeds that God has done in history and in our own lives. As we treasure these things in our hearts, may we, like Mary, be inspired once again to tell everyone of the hope and the joy that is ours.

Monsignor Joseph Murphy, Secretariate of State, Vatican