By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing - Reflect with me, in Mary’s month, on what we learn about Mary – her personality and her virtues – from the Magnificat. ... First, "the fact that we have it at all". (Luke 1:46-55) We take this for granted, but think carefully. Luke probably wrote his Gospel in the late 50s, which means that Mary would have composed her hymn 60 years earlier or so. ... What do we learn about Mary from these mere facts? We must presume, I think, that Mary recited the Magnificat frequently, if not every day, for sixty years. ...