Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (1: 46-55) in which Mary exclaims the Magnificat in response to Elizabeth’s greeting and in praise of God.Fr Paul continues to read from the ‘Heart of the Disciple’* resource for our daily reflections which asks us to consider the following:Mary lived out her identity as a Christian perfectly. She carried Jesus within her, and she loved him as herself. With all her heart, soul, mind, and strength she nourished the divine life within her and brought it to maturity. She bore Jesus, the fruit from her womb, and nourished him to adulthood. From there she encouraged him to go out and to do God’s will as she continued to do God’s will herself.This is an encouragement for our own Christian lives. Through our baptism we too bear Jesus within us and are called to love the Christ within us in the same way Mary did. With our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, we are called to let the divine life within us flourish and come to maturity. From there we are called to go out and bear fruit that will last (John 15:8), and to raise up disciples who go throughout the world doing God’s will and bearing fruit themselves (Matthew 28:19-20).This is the goal of the Christian life, and it is greatly assisted by reading scripture and believing the words of Jesus. One who hears the words of Christ, and who truly believes them, does not remain the same. This is how the work of God is accomplished in this world, as we live our “commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace” (GE, 25).For our reflection and discussion, Fr Paul invites us to consider, what are the passages of Scripture that are most meaningful to you? It can take some thought. Is it a particular story from the Old Testament, a parable from the New, one of Jesus’ sayings, an event from his life or one of the letters of Paul? Once you have brought them to mind, consider why it is special to you. And when you have the chance today, open the Word of God and find another text you can take with you as you journey towards God.And today we pray: Placing my trust in you, Lord,through the intercession of Mary, your mother and mine,I pray for my heart to be open to hear your word and to incarnate that word in my life.Amen.