Manifestation and Magnificat

What are some signs or manifestations of Divine action among people? The Roman Catholic Lectionary takes us to the story of Hannah and the birth of her son Samuel. It is a story of the birth of a spiritual leader. It is the story of a barren woman giving birth as a result of Divine intervention. Hannah seeks the help of God. Her prayers are answered and her canticle of praise is in the form of that of Mary when the Virgin is transformed through Divine intervention to Jesus mother. Mark relates Jesus experience with a man who is harbouring an unclean spirit. In the Naked Now, Richard Rohr describes the interaction of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine as comparable to the phenomena of resonance. This is a behavior of natural systems that is characterized by clear and strong patterns. It is the vibration that produces the note by the string. It is the “frequency” that brings in the wireless signal. There is one note and one station at resonance. The unclean spirit is detected as the damping force attempting to change the note or the channel by forcing a different resonance. It might be compared to that “jamming” or “interfering signal attempting to distract or disrupt. It is detectable. It can be rejected.