Mary’s
Prayer
By Michael Youssef
In the Gospel of Luke, Mary goes into the
hill country of Judea where her cousin
Elizabeth lives. Elizabeth is pregnant with
the baby who will grow to be John the
Baptist. When Mary and Elizabeth greet
each other, Elizabeth’s unborn baby leaps
within her womb, and Elizabeth says,
“Blessed is she who has believed that the
Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
(Luke 1:45). Mary then responds with this
beautiful canticle of praise to God.
Mary’s prayer of praise is one of the most
often recited prayers in Christian liturgy.
Among Protestants, the Magnificat is
frequently sung or read during the Advent
season. It is sung even more frequently in
Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox
services, such as vespers, evening prayers,
and Sunday matins. In addition to Johann
Sebastian Bach, many composers have
set Mary’s humble words to magnificent
music, including Vivaldi, Anton Bruckner,
Rachmaninoff, and Ralph Vaughan
Williams. As beautiful as all these
musical compositions are, they are like
gilded frames around a simply rendered
painting. The true ar