Fr Robert Hendrickson
Dear Friends in Christ,
Psalm 34 today calls us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good… happy are they who trust in him!” The psalmist does not promise a life free from trouble—indeed, “many are the troubles of the righteous.” Yet, the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, saving those whose spirits are crushed, and none who trust in him are ever abandoned.
Against this backdrop stands Mary, whose Magnificat overflows with praise as she sings, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
She recognizes God’s faithfulness to the lowly, his scattering of the proud, lifting of the humble, filling of the hungry, and sending of the rich (those who have already had their reward) away empty. This is a radical reversal of human expectations, rooted in mercy and the fulfillment of divine promise.
This was considered so radical, in fact, that it was removed from censored Bibles that many slaves were allowed to read called “Slave Bibles.” Slaveholders removed passages that might inspire rebellion or thoughts of freedom.
Slaveholders feared that the Magnificat, which speaks of a God who “has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly” and “has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty,” might be interpreted by enslaved people as a message of liberation and inspire resistance or rebellion.
It can still inspire resistance and rebellion. Every day we are faced with forces that oppress the soul, defraud the downcast, and mock hope. That hope is the deepest resistance in these days.
What does it mean to walk in this hope?
It means living each day aware that we are clothed in Christ’s salvation, embraced as God’s children, and heirs of the kingdom. Even when life brings hardship, we trust that the Lord is near, hears our cries, and brings life from suffering. This was the promise slaveholders didn’t want their slaves to hear let alone dare to believe.
Like Mary though, we rejoice in God’s favor not because life is easy, but because God honors the humble and shows mercy across generations. Day by day, we practice gratitude, prayer, and praise, acknowledging the ways God has lifted us and sustained us. We seek to mirror Mary’s openness by saying “yes” to God’s leading, trusting that he will fulfill his purposes in and through us as we walk in love.
In God, our hope is secure. As we follow him each day, may we, like Mary, magnify his name, share in the joy of salvation, and walk forward in confidence, as beloved children, heirs of an eternal kingdom. May we live with rebellious hope and faithful resistance.
Yours in Christ,
—Fr Robert
