The Magnificat, also called the Canticle of Mary, is Mary's own song of praise. She spoke it when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, after Elizabeth greeted her as the mother of the Lord (Luke 1:46–55). Its name comes from its first word in Latin: Magnificat, "magnifies."
My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
(Douay-Rheims translation)
When prayed in the Liturgy of the Hours, the Magnificat ends with the Glory Be.
When to Pray It
- Every evening, as part of Evening Prayer (Vespers) in the Liturgy of the Hours, as the Church has done for centuries
- When meditating on the second Joyful Mystery, the Visitation
- Anytime you want to thank God for the good He has done in your life
What It Means
The Magnificat has two movements:
1. What God has done for Mary. Mary does not praise herself. She praises God, who looked upon her lowliness and did great things for her. "All generations shall call me blessed" is fulfilled every time we pray the Hail Mary.
2. What God does for all His people. Mary sings of a God who turns the world upside down: He scatters the proud, lifts up the humble, feeds the hungry, and keeps His promises to Israel. Her song looks back to God's faithfulness to Abraham and forward to the salvation her Son will bring.
The Magnificat echoes the Song of Hannah in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 2:1–10), another woman who praised God for lifting up the lowly.
In Latin
Magnificat anima mea Dominum, et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo,
quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae. Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,
quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est, et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo, dispersit superbos mente cordis sui;
deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae,
sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini eius in saecula.