Mary celebrates the coming birth of the two boys, Jesus and John the Baptist, with a prayer that, in English, we call the Magnificat. It reminds us that the presence of God we see in these births changes the way we look at the world. God has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. We call Jesus, rightly, the prince of peace. Mary’s prayer reminds us that he is also the prince of justice. Pope Paul VI told the world that “if you want peace, work for justice.” Christmas is not sentimental but a call to live out who this child is.
