Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
In her Magnificat, Mary proclaims, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53). We don’t really know for sure about Mary’s financial situation and whether her financial circumstances play a part in her Magnificat. We might presume that she is a lowly woman, but her Magnificat is perhaps more a celebration of God, in which she recognizes what God has done for humanity throughout human history. Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote that Mary not only lives among those who are materially poor, but also among those who are spiritually poor. She lives with her relatives, who are annoyed by Jesus's behavior and think that Jesus is out of his mind. Mary belongs to the clan of sinners, and she must listen to the petty discussions among her relatives, especially about her Son. Those people are the ones who confronted Jesus and dragged Mary with them. Mary is the one who has to deal with them after Jesus sent them away, even after He was told his mother was there. In the end, however, Mary is the one who believes and does the will of God and not her relatives (cf. Mark 3:31–35).
Unlike Luke, Mark does not include Mary’s Magnificat in his Gospel text. Still, the idea that the poor will be blessed by God does appear in Mark, especially in today's Gospel, where Jesus speaks of voluntary poverty. This kind of poverty that the Gospel text promotes is poverty undertaken in the service of proclaiming the Kingdom. Voluntary poverty announces the Kingdom of God by focusing our attention on something more important than riches or money. If we leave our family behind, Jesus promises that we will receive a new family. The old family that is left behind will be replaced by a new family of spiritually rich believers. The hundredfold that Jesus’ promises are the fruit of hearing the Word of God in a new family based on the spiritual richness of the Word of God.