the song of Mary

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

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
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.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.  (Luke 1:46-55)

Look at the first paragraph of this wonderful song of praise from the Mother of Jesus....it should be our proclamation as well! "The Almighty has done great things for me....." who among us can count the many ways in which we have been blessed? Winning the lottery does NOT count! There are many small miracles everywhere, just waiting for us to behold them, if only we stop and take a look. 

This morning I was feeling down. It is almost Christmas and I guess I am feeling melancholy. I was restless and couldn't quite put my finger on what I could do to alleviate it. Randomly, I turned on the television and there, on an obscure channel that I rarely switch to, the rosary was being said. I admit, it has been awhile since I have said the rosary in the "proper way," so I sat and recited along with the wonderful nuns, all dressed in their traditional habits. Immediately, peace came over me as the tears slid down. I looked upon my own statue of the Blessed Mother, giving thanks for being brought to this healing moment.

This, my friends, is what I mean by "small miracles." All you need is a sincere heart and an openness to listening to that small quiet voice from within.

As Christmas approaches, quiet the voices from outside, the ones that are drowning out the still voice that wants to speak to you. Turn down the loud, secular Christmas tunes, ignore the frantic advertisements that beg you to spend even more money on frivolous nothings and instead, go for a walk in the still of a snow covered forest. Look around you...listen to the quiet. It is there that you will hear the angels singing to the melody within your soul.
May the peace of the Lord always be with you!!