LIVE IT TODAY: Monday, December 22, 2025
When you magnify Me, I lift your life into joy, freedom, and purpose beyond yourself.
Christmas Blessings!
We are deeply grateful to share this extraordinary journey with you—encountering Jesus Christ more fully and becoming instruments of His presence to others. One simple way you can help is by “liking” this reflection. If someone comes to mind while reading, please share. And by becoming a paid subscriber, you help us deliver this “living bread” to many more hungry souls—Bethlehem means “house of bread.”
We are delighted to share with you The Inn Crowd — a very moving Christmas short story. Weekly Live IT radio program and podcast coming soon.
We wish you and your family abundant Christmas blessings!
LIVE IT TODAY: Monday, December 22, 2025
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
SUBSCRIBE FREE: LiveITToday.us
GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
When you magnify Me, I lift your life into joy, freedom, and purpose beyond yourself.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 1:46–56
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Praise realigns the soul with the truth of who God is.
The Magnificat is not a poetic aside; it is a declaration of spiritual reality. Mary does not praise God after everything is resolved. She sings while her future is still uncertain, her reputation fragile, and her path costly. Praise here is not a reaction—it is an act of faith.
Luke carefully places this song on Mary’s lips immediately after the Visitation. Having received Christ, she does not turn inward; she turns upward. Her first response is worship. Praise becomes the overflow of a life surrendered to God’s initiative.
The word Mary uses for “proclaims” literally means “to make great.” God does not need to be made greater—but the human heart does. Praise stretches the soul beyond fear, envy, and self-protection. When God is magnified, everything else finds its proper size.
The Magnificat is also deeply unsettling. God overturns false hierarchies. The proud are scattered. The mighty are dethroned. The hungry are filled. This is not metaphorical comfort; it is a revelation of how God actually works in history. His mercy disrupts every system built on self-sufficiency.
This song speaks powerfully into family life. Homes are shaped either by anxiety or by praise. When gratitude gives way to comparison, joy shrinks. When praise fills the air, even small sacrifices take on eternal weight. The domestic church becomes a place where God’s faithfulness is remembered aloud.
Mary’s praise is rooted in memory. She recalls God’s promises to Abraham. Worship, in Scripture, is never detached from history. It remembers what God has done so we can trust what He will do next.
Parents, this Gospel invites you to lead your home in praise—especially when life feels unsteady. Speak aloud the goodness of God. Name His faithfulness in front of your children. Pray over them by name in the power of the Holy Spirit, forming hearts that rejoice not in circumstances, but in God Himself.
“The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship… The Church rightly honors ‘the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.’” (CCC 971)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where has praise been replaced by anxiety or comparison?
In My Home: How can we more intentionally remember and name God’s faithfulness together?
In My World: What false measures of success or power does God want to overturn in me?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, name one way you have seen God’s faithfulness this past year—big or small.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking for an outpouring of grace to know God’s love personally; freedom from the whispers and lies of the Enemy; strength to overcome temptation; and joyful courage to live the Gospel in daily life.
Daily Challenge: Speak one word of praise aloud today—at home or in public—simply acknowledging God’s goodness without qualification.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
ENTER THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME: LifeTimeRide.com
Listen to the moving song, Ride Of A Lifetime:
Spotify | Apple | Other
TODAY’S SPONSORSHIP
Dr. Eric and Annie Dudenhoeffer, Parschauer Eye Center | 2600 Hayes Ave, Sandusky, OH 44870 | (419) 625-6181
Would you, your business or organization like to help us spread these daily reflections? Contact us at Alive@MassImpact.us to learn more.
WE WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU!
Please share your prayer intentions in the comments at LiveITToday.us