“As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”
To Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors — the Magnificat closes by grounding the present action in the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 12:1–3, 17:7, 22:17–18). The promise to Abraham and his descendants forever is the covenant foundation — the promise that all nations will be blessed through Abraham's offspring. Just as he promised: the faithfulness to the ancient promise is the reason for the present joy. The Magnificat is Luke's thesis statement: everything in the Gospel that follows is the fulfillment of what God promised to Abraham.
Church Fathers on Luke 1:55
After a general mention of the Divine mercy and holiness, the Virgin changes the subject to the strange and marvelous dispensation of the new incarnation, saying, He has holpen his servant Israel, &c. as a physician relieves the sick, becoming visible among men, that He might make Israel (i.e. him who sees God) His servant.
That is, obedient and humble; for he who disdains to be made humble, cannot be saved.
For by Israel she means not Israel after the flesh, whom their own title made noble, but the spiritual Israel, which retained the name of faith, straining their eyes to see God by faith.
Read all 6 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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