Magnifies (Part 1): A Soul That Reveals
“My soul magnifies the Lord.” —Luke 1:46
This five-part series is a slow, prayerful look at a single line of Scripture. Mary’s words in the Magnificat aren’t just a poetic moment—they reveal something essential about her and about what our own souls are meant to do.
"My soul magnifies the Lord." — Luke 1:46
The word magnifies is such a curious choice in Mary’s Magnificat. It invites reflection.
To magnify implies there is something—or Someone—to be looked at more closely. It assumes both a subject and an observer. Magnification doesn’t change the object itself, but it changes the perception of it. It brings it nearer, reveals detail, increases clarity.
Mary doesn’t say, “My soul shines,” or “My soul radiates.” Those would center on her. Instead, she shifts all attention outward—her soul exists as a lens, not a light. And the lens is focused on God.
But here’s the twist: why does the Lord, who is omnipresent, need magnifying?
The truth is, we need the magnification. The Lord is already present, already near, but our cluttered hearts and distracted minds blur the view. We pile on attachments, anxieties, desires, and distractions—until He’s hidden not by absence, but by crowding.
To magnify the Lord, then, is to clear the clutter. To become a soul so transparent that God’s greatness can be seen through us. Mary becomes a lens not by puffing herself up, but by emptying herself so Christ could be seen in her—and through her.
So the question becomes: Is your soul a lens that magnifies the Lord—or a smudged window, clouded by self?