| BEFORE Douay Rheims Version | AFTER Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition |
| “And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. | “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree;” |
Why is this change important?
Humility is a virtue; low estate is not. Humble is not “low degree“. I suspect that those reinterpreting humility to “low estate” and “low degree” have been influenced by a Marxist mentality which tries to make material poverty a virtue. It is neither a virtue nor a vice to be in poverty. One person can be proud and poor, while another can be rich and humble. Jesus extolled poverty simply because the poor, having less material possessions, can more easily be detached from them and he desires that all his followers be detached from the world and its allurements.
Also, conceit (a form of pride) is a vice. Imagination is not a vice. Imagination is neither a vice nor a virtue. What a person decides in relation to his imaginings is either sinful or virtuous.
If the “scholars” making these changes are persons of good will, they have been duped by the evil one. If they are of bad will, they have given themselves over to his power and doing very wicked work. Either way, these errors need to be corrected.
Additional Notes
As a side note, why was “to me” changed to “for me”? If it is innocuous, why make this change at all?