Church Fathers Commentary Luke 1:47

"And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." — Luke 1:47 (ASV)

St. Basil the Great: The first-fruit of the Spirit is peace and joy. Since the holy Virgin had received all the graces of the Spirit, she rightly adds, And my spirit has leaped for joy. By “soul” and “spirit,” she means the same thing. The frequent mention of leaping for joy in the Scriptures implies a certain bright and cheerful state of mind in those who are worthy.

Therefore, the Virgin exults in the Lord with an unspeakable, leaping joy of the heart—an outpouring of a noble affection that follows in the words, in God my Savior.

The Venerable Bede: The spirit of the Virgin rejoices in the eternal Godhead of that same Jesus (that is, the Savior), whose flesh was formed in her womb by a temporal conception.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The soul of Mary, therefore, magnifies the Lord, and her spirit rejoiced in God. With both soul and spirit devoted to the Father and the Son, she worships with pious affection the one God from whom all things come.

But let everyone have the spirit of Mary, so that each one may rejoice in the Lord. If, according to the flesh, there is one mother of Christ, yet according to faith, Christ is the fruit of all. For every soul receives the word of God, provided it remains unstained and free from sin, and preserves that word with unsullied purity.

Theophylact of Ohrid: A person who worthily follows Christ is one who magnifies God. Now that this person is called a Christian, they do not lessen Christ's glory by acting unworthily, but instead do great and heavenly things. Then the Spirit (that is, the anointing of the Spirit) will rejoice in them—meaning, cause them to prosper—and will not be withdrawn or, so to speak, put to death.

St. Basil the Great: But if at any time light has entered a person's heart, and by loving God and despising bodily things they have gained the perfect standing of the just, they will obtain joy in the Lord without any difficulty.

Origen of Alexandria: The soul first magnifies the Lord so that it may afterward rejoice in God, for unless we first believe, we cannot rejoice.