At Home with Faith
God Raises the Bowed Down
January 29, 2023
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
All priests, women and men religious and deacons promise to pray the Canticle of Mary or the Magnificat every day. This beautiful prayer of Mary rejoices in how God “has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.” (Luke 1:51-52)
It’s natural to relish moments of triumph and apparent success. Yet, it can often be the times when we are “bowed down” that we grow the most, provided we are prepared to accept the growth God offers us.
Read
Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13
The Lord will leave a faithful remnant.
Psalm 146
God loves the just and raises up those who were bowed down.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
God chose the foolish to shame the wise.
Matthew 5:1-12a
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Talk
Have you had an experience where, at first, you felt like what was happening to you was bad or confusing, but you later realized that God was using the experience for good? Maybe you turned down or didn’t get a job that offered a lot of prestige, but you discovered that a different job allowed you stay connected to family, friends and a community of faith, and now you realize how much more important that is. Or maybe you never felt like you were part of a popular clique of children in middle school, but you never missed it because your friends were genuine and helped you to grow as a person. Share these examples with your child and let him or her know how God can do the most with us when we are in humble situations.
Go Deeper
Learn about how God raises up the lowly:
Read the Canticle of Mary
Canticle Of Mary - Prayers - Catholic Online
Learn about the Magnificat in this 4-minute video: