The Faith of the Oppressed

I am always humbled by the faith of the oppressed.  In the Christian calendar we are currently in the season of Advent. The great text of Advent for me, as for the church worldwide, has always been the song and prayer of expectant Mary, known as the Magnificat...

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Theologically, it is essential that this song of praise and statement of faith from an oppressed woman be coupled with the tears that Mary will shed some 33 years later as she watched her son scapegoated and lynched by the mob, the religious leadership of her people, and the power of Roman Empire.  The great song of Mary and of all mothers who must weep over the death of their children due to injustice is known as the Stabat Mater.  

The Magnificat and the Stabat Mater, then, are the bookends of the faith of the oppressed.  They are the cry of hope and of despair intertwined. They are the beating, bleeding heart of true religion.  And they are the archetype of every generation's need for lament.

Today I am struck to the core by faith of Judy Scott, mother of unjustly murdered Walter Scott, as she responded to the news that there would be no justice in this world for her or her dead son.  "It's not over...until God says it's over."    Judy Scott, may you be comforted today by the great cloud of witnesses and by Mary and Jesus who stand in solidarity with you.