My soul dances within me every time I hear it. It is one of the sweetest sounds in all creation. The sound of genuine heart-bottom-felt gratitude. Of all aspects of the Nativity Narrative, it is Mary’s most beautiful song that emotes me most deeply, reminding me that the grace of giving is not only (or even necessarily) revealed in the gift, but in the artfulness of the giver. A masterful giver not only knows what to give, but when and how and why … to reduce the receiver to a bundle of pure gratitude … not ingratiation, obligation or even satisfaction. Pure gratitude is always directed to God. It’s much more than a ‘thank you’. It’s a ‘thank heaven!!!’
It’s the sound of the marginalized redeemed, the hit-rock-bottom surfacing, the never- could-have-imagined, the not-in-my-wildest-dreams entering the halls of the rich and famous. The who me? not me? becoming an I-am-somebody! The lowly hand-maiden becoming the ‘hitherto shall all men call me blessed’. The contrast kills presumption. Pride has zero oxygen. The expression is a wail of guttural gratitude indelibly staining the soul for eternity. To God be the glory!!!
You give a gift before that rock-bottom moment, or to a conceited person admiring their own reflection, or at a time when someone thinks they deserve a break, your gift is wasted; unless your intent is to bind that soul to your self whether through cords of obligation or by stamping upon them a strong impression of yourself. But if you want a person to become the gift you give, you have to wait upon their Mary moment, or recognize the Mary that will not just treasure your gift, but become a treasure through your gift. That’s the soul that will ‘magnify the Lord’.
It’s the spirit of Magnificat I have found amongst the Haitian people in the person of the leadership of POPP-NON. I’ve been walking and working with them almost daily for time enough to taste the spirit and see whether it be of God (no spelling or dictation error). I’ve travelled the earth long enough to familiarize myself with the scent of ambition, strife and hypocrisy. I’ve developed a keenly sharp nose, even if I’ve learned to act like I can’t smell a thing. Honestly, I haven’t smelt Mary’s perfume for a long while. Were it not so distinctive, I might have forgotten it. These people I can attest are the salt of the earth. The real deal.
Some are thinking our future may be broken. I say our dawn is about to break.
We are one people.
YeKengalé 
YeKengale, my young Brother, this is a Masterpiece. Deeply reflective and masterly written. Christians who regularly recite the MAGNIFICAT will have cause for pause. Christians who have thoughtfully prayed the MAGNIFICAT will find material for even deeper reflection. Your perception of the spirit of Magnificat amongst the Haitian people in the leadership of ‘POPP-NON caught me by surprise. But it is you who have been walking and working among them. I trust your instincts. Other Jamaicans should do so. Perhaps more importantly, they should recognise that in every Haitian breast moves the spirit of God. Keep on doing the things you are doing.
Byron
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