Over the past several weeks St. Mary’s has held Quinceañera services here in the church in celebration of girls’ 15th birthdays. A Quinceañera is a tradition with both Mexican and Spanish roots, celebrated throughout Latin America and elsewhere. It marks the passage from girlhood to womanhood, emphasizing the importance of family and community in her life, and her changing responsibilities to them. It has been a real pleasure for me to be a part of these services, especially the Quencieñeras for Edith and Shaila, who have attended our 1:30 service regularly and who participate by bringing up the elements for communion and by occasionally reading a lesson from the pulpit. I look at each girl one last time on the Sunday before her Quinceañera, knowing that the next time I see her she will be transformed. While Quinceañeras are well-known for the party that goes long into the night, at our church service we guide the young woman along on her continuing walk with God. A bible is presented to help her to grow in her faith through the study of holy scriptures and prayer. The girl processes to the icon or statue of Mary for adoration, often with a bouquet of flowers for an offering to Mary. And she makes an offering to God. “I give you thanks, God of my life, for these fifteen years. With all my heart I promise to serve you today and always. Help me to follow your will and strengthen me to proclaim in word and deeds your Kingdom of truth, justice, and love.” These words of praise and intention are akin to a Magnificat.
The age of 15 can be pivotal for girls and boys alike. It was at the age of 15 that Greta Thunberg started spending her Fridays outside the Swedish Parliament to call for stronger action on climate change. That same year she addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference, her voice heard by students around the world.
At South Eugene High School the Earth Guardians, a student-led group, strives to better the environment through civics, activism, and education. They, too, lift their voices to raise awareness of this important concern of climate change in today’s world.
It was during the 2018 General Convention of the Episcopal Church that many of us first heard Abigail Zimmerman, an Episcopalian and then a ninth grader from Waco, Texas. She spoke to a crowd gathered by the Bishops United Against Gun Violence. She spoke about the school walkout she co-led in response to the then very recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. She said, “I know what I am doing makes a difference and so I persevere.” The speech was akin to a Magnificat. We walked away that day calling her the prophet Abigail.
These are just a few examples of young people finding their path to make a difference in the world. Mary, too, was only 14 or 15 years old when the angel Gabriel visited her at her home in Nazareth. In just a few moments Mary changed from a frightened girl, to whom the angel was compelled to say, “Don’t be afraid, Mary”, to a questioning girl, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”, to a committed young woman, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.”
You may be thinking that this would be an appropriate time for Mary to sing her song of praise. I think it would be. She has changed from a girl who played with her siblings and did simple chores around the house, to a young woman who has taken on the mantle of being the mother of God. But that is a huge leap and best accomplished with family and community. And so Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth and stayed with her for about three months. Elizabeth and Mary are two pregnant women of different generations, each confirming the importance of the child they each are to bear. As professor of religious studies Stephen A. Cooper describes them, “both women are pregnant with significance, for between them they bear the messenger (John the Baptist) and the message (Jesus the Christ). Each woman finds support in the other; each woman cares for the other. Some speculate that Mary was present for the birth of John, helping to care for her cousin and for the baby, before returning home.
Elizabeth has been called a prophet, for she became the first to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. As found in Luke’s Gospel, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and “with a loud voice she blurted out, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’”
And this is when Mary sings.
Mary sings of the blessing she has received from God. “With all my heart I glorify the Lord! In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored because the mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.”
Mary sings of the blessing on all of us. “God has shown mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors him as God. … God has come to the aid of Israel, remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.” Rich and poor, powerful and without power, we receive God’s mercy.
Yet we are called to give as well as to receive. Let us remember to give honor to the young people among us, for God often gives them huge tasks. Let us be honorable in all we do, for we know God gives us huge tasks. We, too, like Greta Thunberg and the Earth Guardians, can use our passion, skills, and abundance to help curtail the destruction of God’s creation here on Earth. We, too, like the prophet Abigail, can raise our voices against inhumanity to each other. We, too, like Mary and the Quinceañeras, can sing praise to God for God’s mercy on us, and for the blessed gift to us of Mary, of her dear Son, Jesus Christ, and for our only Mediator and Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Amen.
