The Joyful Revolution:
Mary's Magnificat in Advent
December 8-24, 2021
The song of Mary,
also known as the Magnificat, is a song of remembrance and gratitude, but
also an invitation into the future, a vision of the world turned upside down:
the hungry fed, the powerful gone from their thrones, the lowly lifted up –by the
power of God.
The
song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most
passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary
Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle,tender, dreamy Mary whom
we sometimes see in paintings; this is the passionate, surrendered,
proud, enthusiastic Mary who speaks out here.
This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of
some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable
song about collapsing thrones and humbled lords of this world, about
the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind. These are the tones
of the women prophets of the Old Testament that now come to life in
Mary’s mouth.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Advent sermon, 1933
During this two-week retreat, we will take some time to reflect on the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
and on its predecessor in the First Testament, the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel2:1-10) and on their meanings for us today.
We will study the texts (including different translations of the Magnificat). We will also (not at the same time) read scripture meditatively with the ancient practice of lectio divina, which ponders words and leads into deep silence. We will view visual representations of Mary --and of Mary and her kinswoman Elizabeth-- from diverse cultures and contexts. We will listen to musical settings of the Magnificat.
Advent is a season of quiet waiting. It is also a season full of urgency, a time when we look to the future not just in the short term --here comes Christmas, welcome the child Jesus-- but in the long term. Advent speaks of change, not only in its visions of the end of time, but in Mary's song of a transformed society.
This retreat will
take place, as other online retreats have done in the past, on a blog. Only
retreatants will have access to that blog. You can check in with the regularly
posted retreat resources privately, at any time that is convenient for you.
I will post resources every couple of days for the two weeks of the retreat. Some of them will be suggestions or guidance for reflection,
meditation, journal-keeping (verbal or visual), and prayer which
you can use and adapt to your daily life and to your own
spiritual practice.
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Romare Bearden, "The Visitation" (1941)
Gouache, ink, and pencil on colored paper
Museum of Modern Art, New York
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Solitude or conversation or both?
As
in our previous online-on-a-blog retreats, this one will include, but not require,
opportunities for (written) conversation
with other participants. My hope is that participants will feel moved to enter into conversation, since the retreat will be all the richer if we share our perspectives and reactions. But the choice is yours.
Those
conversations take place in the comments sections of the blogposts.
Again: these posts, with their resources and their opportunities for
comment and exchange, take place on a private blog open only to people who have registered for the retreat. Once you have registered for the retreat, you will receive instructions on getting onto the retreat blog.
Try to log in to the retreat every day or two and to set aside time to
spend with the resources. These regular check-ins and dedicated times will help you to have a fruitful retreat.
This kind of retreat is suited for both morning persons and p.m.
persons! You can adapt reflection, prayer, and practice to your personal
and work schedule. I'll be there for support and information if you
need a consultation.
Please write me with any questions or concerns.
Registration and cost
Registration and payment take place via PayPal secure link, which takes credit and debit cards in addition to PayPal. You do not have to have your own PayPal account to use this online payment method.
--The drop-down menu below shows the payment scale.
--Discounts are available for those in financial hardship. (If the discounted rate indicated is still too costly for you, please contact me.)
--At the other end of the spectrum, the benefactor rate helps offset costs and makes discounted rates possible.
Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.
For a full listing of this year's Advent retreats, see here.
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Ben Wildflower, "Magnificat"
(woodcut, 2016)
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