lifting up the lowly

A few random thoughts for these random times:

• I was on a train this morning, in the city (social-distancing was easy with so few people around). Anyway this bloke gets on. Nothing odd about that. He’s wearing a face-mask. That too is quite normal these days. But… as soon as he is on, he takes the mask off and puts it in his pocket. Why would you do that????
• At about 11.00am each morning, the internet slows down as though we are back on dial-up. All those people ‘working’ from home.

I was also musing, as I walked, on the words of the Magnificat - the Song of Mary. It’s said daily at Evening Prayer, but as yesterday was the Feast of the Annunciation it was a bit more on my mind. (If you don’t know it, I have printed it below.) It really is a song of triumph, as Mary realises what it is that God is doing through her - the whole of salvation history is coming to its climax! But beyond that, it is a song of revolution, showing that normality will be turned upside down - ‘he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.’    
As I got off the train at Newtown, I noticed a young man, a member of staff, wiping down one of the benches on the platform, and it made me think about who are the really important people in our society, at the moment. Doctors, nurses, teachers. Yes all of those. But what about cleaners? The shelf-fillers? The girl at the checkout? The bus drivers? Normally we don’t give them a second glance, if we even gave them a first. Some bad people might suggest that a few of our politicians could go into self-isolation without being noticed. But if the supermarket shelves are not filled things will not be good. The lowly have been lifted up!

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,    
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
 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 powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

(Luke 1:46-55)