Church Fathers Commentary Luke 1:53

"The hungry he hath filled with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away." — Luke 1:53 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: Because human prosperity seems to consist mainly in the honors of the mighty and the abundance of their riches, after speaking of the casting down of the mighty and the exalting of the humble, he continues by speaking of the impoverishing of the rich and the filling of the poor: He has filled the hungry, etc.

St. Basil the Great: These words also guide our conduct regarding material things, teaching us the uncertainty of all worldly possessions, which are as short-lived as a wave tossed to and fro by the violence of the wind.

Spiritually, however, all mankind suffered from hunger except for the Jews, for they possessed the treasures of the legal tradition and the teachings of the holy prophets. But because they did not rest humbly on the Incarnate Word, they were sent away empty, carrying with them neither faith nor knowledge, and were bereft of the hope of good things, being shut out from both the earthly Jerusalem and the life to come. In contrast, the Gentiles, who were brought low by hunger and thirst, were filled with spiritual goods because they clung to the Lord.

Glossa Ordinaria: Likewise, those who desire eternal life with their whole soul, as if hungering for it, will be filled when Christ appears in glory. But those who rejoice in earthly things will, in the end, be sent away emptied of all happiness.