I hope you are finding time to read the Scriptures! You can read a little each day, and there are multiple apps that can give you the church's daily readings or help you follow a reading plan.
Have you ever been reading and had a verse jump out at you that you hadn't noticed before? This happened to me recently when I was reading 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Verse 23 struck me, which states, "This I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you."
Everything St. Paul did after his conversion was for the Gospel's sake, and he says here that he has to live that way so that he himself can be a partaker of the blessings of the Gospel. This seems to say that if we want to partake of the Gospel's blessings, then the Gospel needs to be the motivating force in our life. The word "Gospel" is an ancient word that meant the proclamation of a new conquering king. St. Paul's revolutionary life was not lived because of the gospel of Caesar the emperor, but rather the Gospel of Messiah Jesus the new King.
\When I read this verse, I paused and thought, "How much of my life do I live for the Gospel's sake?" I am afraid the percentage would be small. I'll ask you the same question: "How much of your day-to-day life do you live because of the Gospel?"
Since we have just celebrated the feast of Mary's dormition, let's reflect on a few ways that she, as a great example for us, shows us how to live our lives because of the Gospel through her prayer found at the beginning of St. Luke's Gospel (1:46-55).
"My soul magnifies the Lord"
One of my brothers-in-law loves motorcycles. I like motorcycles too, so when we're together, that's what we often talk about. Some people's souls magnify motorcycles; however, I know that my brother-in-law would much rather talk about God, and how Jesus changed his life and gives him hope and joy. I know that my brother-in-law's soul magnifies the Lord.
You probably know people whose soul seems to magnify a sports team, a hobby, a political party, or just themselves. If you think of a magnifying glass, what is it that your soul is magnifying in your day-to-day life? What would it be like if your soul was a magnifying glass for Jesus?
"My spirit rejoices in God my Savior"
We can look at our lives and quickly see what makes us rejoice, and there are so many beautiful things in life to rejoice in. Do we also see that we need a savior, and are we rejoicing in Jesus saving us? Fr. Alexander Schmemann wrote, "From its very beginning Christianity has been the proclamation of joy, of the only possible joy on earth….Without the proclamation of this joy Christianity is incomprehensible. It is only as joy that the Church was victorious in the world, and it lost the world when it lost that joy, and ceased to be a credible witness to it. Of all accusations against Christians, the most terrible one was….. that Christians had no joy" (For the Life of the World, p. 24).
"He has looked on the humble estate of his servant."
You have likely been around a child that keeps calling out to the adults, "Look at me, look at me!" Odds are that sometime in life you were that child. People can mistakenly look down on the child for seeking attention, but really, what all children want is connection. Since you are a human being, I am certain that you want connection too. You want to be seen. St. John Kronstadt wrote in his journal, "The Holy Trinity sees and hears me; this is the most life-giving assurance for my heart, penetrating it with peace and joy" (Kindle location 331, My Life in Christ). Whatever you are going through today, God is looking on you with compassion and love. You are never alone, and you are always loved.
These three phrases from the Theotokos can help us live out our lives because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can pray her words when you wake in the morning. You can pray them when you're tempted to sin. You could say, "My soul magnifies this sin, and my spirit rejoices in this sin." To me that reframes the sin and makes me not want to do it. We can pray these words all day long like we pray the Jesus prayer because, like Mary and St. Paul, we are invited to live each day for the sake of the Gospel. Because Jesus our loving King saves us, we can magnify Him, rejoice in Him, and trust in His compassionate gaze and care.
Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.
