My Soul Magnifies the Lord – Mary’s Magnificat, Word by Word with Sonja Corbitt

Mary “magnified” the Lord, not because of the words she said or sang in praise of Him, but because Mary fulfilled God’s purpose for her to the fullest possible degree. Completely unhindered by sin, Mary evolved completely into the person God created her to be, and in so doing, her whole life magnified the Lord. Mary, herself, is the Magnificat.

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

Scripture References for The Show

Luke 1:46-55, the words of the Magnificat

And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The God of peace sanctify you wholly, that your whole spirit, and soul, and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Three divisions or “parts” to man:

  • spirit – Psalm 51:10, “Lord, create in my inward parts a right spirit.”
  • soul – Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
  • body – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Matthew 10:10, Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.

Mark 12:30-31,  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Hebrews 11:1, (NJB)  “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen.”  (KJV) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Joh 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

INTERACTIVE SCRIPTURE MEDITATION EXCERCISE (LECTIO DIVINA)

This week’s lectio exercise is based on a Thomistic approach. Go on! Try it!

Read (Lectio)

Colossians 3:23-24

(DRB) Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ.

(KJV) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

(NAB-A) Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.

(NJB) Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as done for the Lord and not for human beings, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving.

(RSV-CE) Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.

Meditate (Meditatio)

To whom is God speaking in these verses?

Which tasks of your daily life are most distasteful to you? What is is about those tasks that you find disagreeable? What does God mean by “whatever your task…”?

How do we do that? When and where in your daily routine, specifically, do these verses apply to you?

What does “heartily” or “from the heart” mean? Why are we doing our “work as unto the Lord”?

Who are we serving on a daily basis?

What does God mean by “you will receive the inheritance”? Which tasks done for the love of Christ in your heart merit reward?

Pray (Oratio)

As you consider that all the mundane jobs, chores, and duties of your station in life can accrue toward your eternal reward, what emotions and/or motivations do these verses inspire or provoke in you? Does it change how you will go about your daily routine from now on? How? What do you want to say to the Lord about that?

Rest (Contemplatio)

Perhaps you’d like to take a few minutes to thank Him for elevating such “little things” to eternity, so that none of it is wasted or useless.


 For more resources and Sonja’s scripture meditation exercise for this episode visit  the Bible Study Evangelista website  

Sonja’s books can found here

Sonja Corbitt is the Bible Study Evangelista. She’s a Catholic Scripture teacher with a story teller’s gift – a Southern Belle with a warrior’s heart and a poet’s pen.

We’re all sweating and dirty with the effort to love and lift all He’s given to us – those people, duties, callings, and longings that break our hearts and make them sing, sometimes at the same time. But most times, we need to be loved and lifted ourselves.

So her Bible study media are created with you in mind, bites of spinach that taste like cake, to help you make space in your busy heart and schedule for God to love and lift you all the way up into His great lap, where all you’ve been given is loved and lifted too.

1 thought on “My Soul Magnifies the Lord – Mary’s Magnificat, Word by Word with Sonja Corbitt”

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.