Model & Map for Catholic Communicators
Mary's Visitation & Magnificat
Dear friend,
How much have you thought about the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56)? Have you ever realized that this Gospel passage provides all who communicate our faith with a brilliant model, witness, and example to follow?
At the international Catholic New Media Conference in 2013, I was asked to present a breakout session examining the Virgin Mary under her title “Star of Evangelization.” I turned to the Visitation for the answer.
Maristella
Why is Mary called any kind of Star?
According to Marianist Father Johann Roten,
The origin of the expression Stella maris is commonly attributed to St. Jerome (d. 420). However, Jerome called Mary stilla maris, meaning a drop of the sea. Perhaps a copyist transcribed this as Stella maris.1
Seafarers often call her “Star of the Sea” or Stella Maris, because she is the one whose heavenly intercession will — they trust — lead them safely to their destination, much like the trusty, heavenly navigators of the night sky. For Christians, Mary is truly our star — our intuitive compass — as our ship is tossed about on the sea’s unpredictable waves. We trust that she, as the first and most blessed among Christians, will surely lead us to Christ.
Why the Visitation?
The significance of the Visitation as a mystery of our faith is enormous and often overlooked. Dear fellow communicators, do we realize that the Visitation was the first time in which a human being went out and brought Christ to others?
This is our Christian mission, as Pope Benedict XVI reflected:
That of Mary is an authentic missionary journey. It is a journey that leads her far from home […]. Here, also for all of us, lies the secret of our lives as men and women and Christians. Our existence, as individuals and as a Church is projected outside ourselves. […] We are asked to come out of ourselves, from where we feel safe, to reach out to others in different places and surroundings. 2
In the Visitation, Mary is not only communicating the Word of God, but she is truly embodying that blessed Word! Preacher of the Papal Household Cardinal Cantalamessa calls this to our attention:
She was full, physically, of Christ and irradiated Him with just her presence. Jesus came out from her eyes, her face and her entire person. When one perfumes oneself it is not necessary to announce it; it is enough simply to stand near the person to sense it, and Mary, most especially during the time she carried Him in her womb, was full of the perfume of Christ. 3
Our mission as Catholic communicators is to embody Mary’s Visitation, and within that we find our roadmap, the Magnificat; the prayer which Luke presents as her song (Lk. 1:46-56) in the context of a conversation she has with Elizabeth.
Thus, our own mission is to “go out,” and our own personal Magnificat is to be given to the world not as an impersonal billboard but as an authentic song from our hearts in the context of a relational conversation.
This is the roadmap for Gospel communication…
To Magnify
My soul magnifies the LORD
The Magnificat’s first verse is sometimes translated, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD.” When we think of what it means to magnify something, we can easily consider the power of a magnifying glass; it brings something closer to us, makes it clearer, or intensifies the power of something (such as when used to burn poor ants with the light of the sun)!
A Catholic communicator’s examen:
How am I called to intensify people’s understanding or experience of God?
How am I called to proclaim God’s greatness?
Mary says it is her soul which magnifies the LORD. The Church teaches us that the soul is our “innermost” part.4 Then, such a magnification of God must come from my innermost self. I am not called to a mere aesthetic reflection of my Creator, but to a deep and total transformation by my God.
When I am transformed, then I can magnify God like Mary. This is my goal.
To Rejoice
My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior
Again, I turn to Pope Benedict XVI who highlights the significance of this next verse in Mary’s song:
We have come to the truest meaning and most genuine purpose of every missionary journey: to give people the living and personal Gospel, which is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And Jesus’ Gospel is a communication and a gift which — as Elizabeth testifies — fills the heart with joy: "For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." (Lk. 1:44). Jesus is the only true treasure to give to humanity. It is for Him that the men and women of our time have a deep longing, even when they seem to ignore or reject him.
The Gospel, Jesus Christ, is the cause of our joy! He is the answer to every problem. He comes close to us in our trials and in our happy moments.
Based on how I communicate with others, would people describe me as joyful?
How am I demonstrating the joys of knowing God — online and offline?
How am I called to continue sharing the joys of my relationship with God?
How am I called to cultivate joy?
Mary is carrying Jesus, and her spirit rejoices in God. Beautifully, in this moment of rejoicing, Mary names God her Savior.
To Be Humble
For He has looked with favor on His lowly servant / And behold, all generations will call me blessed.
Looking back on her short life, Mary realizes the depth of her lowliness and humility, and sees how God has raised her up.
True humility is found in seeing ourselves as we are, both in our lowliness and in our blessedness.
How in-touch am I with my lowliness, in an honest, balanced, and healthy way?
How aware am I of the gifts God has given me?
When I encounter others — in person or online — how am I intentionally choosing to see them as God sees them? (How are my interactions with others reflecting this intentionality? How are they not?)
To Give Thanks
The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.
Given the mighty work of God in our lives, justice calls for us to make an act of thanksgiving to God. (Thus, our Sunday liturgy is a serious obligation.)
Such obligation is not Mary’s primary motivator, however. She is certainly not dragging her feet in acknowledgement of God’s gifts. Her tone is one of awe and wonder.
In such humble awareness of God’s greatness, she seems to naturally ‘fall into’ an act of worship; “holy is His Name.” Yet, we know that this movement to selfless adoration is not natural; it is supernatural. Mary’s connection with divine grace — her being filled with grace — compels her to worship Almighty God.
Does my practice of prayer lead me into spontaneous acts of worship and adoration?
How often do I stop to realize God’s gifts, and make an act of thanksgiving?
Have distractions, busyness, wounds or fears blunted my sense of awe and wonder at God’s greatness and goodness? How can I recover that childlike attitude?
How am I an example to others, of the transformative power of gratitude?
To Show Mercy
The concluding half of Mary’s Magnificat hymn tells the story of God’s mercy, and it tells the story of God’s people through the lens of divine mercy.
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 has remembered His promise of mercy;
The promise He made to our fathers,
To Abraham and his children forever.
Therefore, we can easily conclude that, for Mary — who is filled with God’s grace and bearing the Christ in the most embodied way of any human being ever in history, God’s greatest and most important attribute is mercy.
In Latin, mercy is misericordia; cor or heart combined with miseria denoting misery. Therefore, to have misericordia is to have someone’s misery close to heart. According to Mary, God has our misery close to heart and responds to heal our miseries; promising to do so for all who have faith, forever.
In what ways has God shown mercy to me?
How am I showing mercy to others in the ways I communicate with them?
How am I cultivating a culture of mercy in the Church? In my home? In my other places of vocation?
We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. — Pope Francis (Misericordiae Vultus)
In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary… With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal. —St. Bernard of Clairvaux
I.Q. — Inspired Questions (Ask Us Anything)
You’ve got time! The Feast of the Visitation is celebrated on May 31.
💬 What question do you have for fellow Catholic communicators? It can be serious or fun, complex or simple. Comment (or email reply to this newsletter), and maybe your Inspired Question will be featured in a future edition!
💙 Heartlines
Headlines these days may be downers, but we celebrate heartlines; inspiring pieces of news that may never make a major headline but are moving hearts.
Congratulations to Paul at
on his graduation and workshops communicating truths about spiritual abuse and its prevention. Demand compelled him to add more classes! Thank you for calling us all to humbly mirror the mercy of God.More congratulations are in order for Paul’s wife,
, who illustrated a beautiful new children’s book, Growing a Baby: Joey Becomes a Big Brother! Thank you for using your gifts to magnify the wonderful mystery of life.Still more congratulations to Spirit Juice Studios for winning a New York Emmy® Award for their moving video, Hero On the Hudson, produced for the Knights of Columbus. Thank you for helping the Church to thank and magnify the gifts of everyday heroes.
💙 We’re looking for more news! What heartwarming tidbit would you like you share with other Catholic communicators?
Parting Words
Thank you for reading this edition of inspired Angela for Catholic communicators.
I’m looking forward to your comments.
St. Óscar Romero, pray for us.
☕️ Did you appreciate this newsletter? You can buy Angela a cup of tea.
Roten, Johann. “Star of the Sea,” All About Mary. University of Dayton, Ohio. https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/s/star-of-the-sea.php
Pope Benedict XVI. Speech for the conclusion of the Marian month. 31 May 2010.
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap. Second sermon for Advent 2011.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 363: In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person. But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God's image: "soul" signifies the spiritual principle in man.
Thank you so much!
And to add on to your wonderful Magnificat framework for Catholic communicators, I think there's also a call to communicate in a way that promotes justice for the poor, powerless, and vulnerable (to lift up the lowly). Mary is the Mother of Compassion who suffers with, who has our misery close to her heart as you said. But she's also the Queen with a crown of stars who crushes the head of the Serpent. It is an act of mercy and of justice to raise up the lowly. And it's an act of mercy and of justice to throw down the princes from their thrones.
Beautiful reflection, as always, Angela. The points where you provide questions for reflection really got me thinking. Thank you!