The magnifying glass
Growing up, before the age of hand held technology, led to some creative outdoor play when I was a kid. Burning things with a magnifying glass was one of those creative ways we seemed to entertain ourselves. I’d borrow my mom’s magnifying glass, head outside, gather with the neighborhood kids, and see what we could start on fire. We knew that if we could catch the sun at just the right angle, hold the glass really steady, be patient, the glass would create a beam of intense light and we’d have fire. Okay, I admit, there probably was the odd bug that found its way under the magnifying glass too. I’m not sure why we found this so entertaining. Maybe it was the fascination of how the magnifying glass did what it did. It captured light, magnified and created fire.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,” we hear Mary say in the beginning of Luke’s gospel. What did she mean when she spoke those words? The verse goes on to say, “my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” So a soul that magnifies Jesus, rejoices! A soul which receives the Light, ignites and burns with intensity; just like the magnifying glass. Mary’s sole purpose was to magnify Jesus, proclaim his greatness and rejoice. Mary was the magnifying glass. Her soul magnified and exalted Jesus and she rejoiced in it!
Is that my sole purpose, to magnify Jesus and rejoice? It is, but I forget. Life – the things of this world that prevent me from magnifying; the clutter of my soul/heart that makes my glass translucent. So many things I can think of that take me away from my soul’s purpose. Through this journey, the Lord has identified some of those “smudges.” I ask Him to continue to show me what those things are, for my heart’s desire really is to magnify Him and ignite others.
The challenge is how? Humility, what Jesus and Mary exemplified. A humble soul is part of the equation and facing the Light is the other. Humility allows us to recognize our utmost need for and complete dependence on the Lord, for all aspects of our life. Humbleness allows us to invite the Lord in so He can wipe the smudges off of the glass. Facing the Light is the only way to capture all the light. Just like the magnifying glass, the angle must be just so, or the intensity of light will not produce fire. The same with us. Our gaze must be fixed on Him so we might magnify Jesus to the fullest, have our souls ignited, and be His instrument to set aflame in those around us.
May our soul magnify the Lord and may our spirit rejoice!!
