Magnifying Glass

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,  where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit  and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

            And Mary said,

           "My soul magnifies the Lord,

  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

  for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

           Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

  for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

           and holy is his name.

  His mercy is for those who fear him

           from generation to generation.

  He has shown strength with his arm;

           he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

           and lifted up the lowly;

  he has filled the hungry with good things,

           and sent the rich away empty.

  He has helped his servant Israel,

           in remembrance of his mercy,

  according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

           to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

- Luke 1:39-55 

We hear that down is up and up is down

rich empty and poor, poverty steeped with riches

and nothing will ever be the same

Our pride is exposed as shame and

shame inverted becomes pride

and nothing will ever be the same

The kings beg in the street for coins and

the street junkies take eucalyptus steam showers all day

and nothing will ever be the same

You come into this gunning, shot-up world

Mary sings of your power and peace

and your only weapon a willing womb

You magnify us with your round looking glass

and see our microscopic lives as large

and our greatness you smoke out with focused light

In turn our souls magnify you, you unexpected world flipper,

as we look up through the lens of goodness and mercy

and just your eye fills up the monacle of the sky