May 31 - Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. In the Gospel of Luke we hear:

…During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Lk 1: 39 - 45)

How beautiful this meeting is! It can fill us all with greater joy in remembering that just as the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and prompted her to cry out the blessing given to Mary – so Mary herself is there visiting Elizabeth filled by the same Holy Spirit, as Luke recounts in the scene prior to this:

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Lk 1:26-38)

Let us ponder God’s Word as we prepare for tomorrow’s Feast, and rejoice in all God has done and will do by the power of His Holy Spirit, in the lives of those who believe. Mary, Mother of Jesus, our Mother given to us from His Cross, and Mother of the Church, pray for us.

 

[hazcompat]

The second joyful mystery. For love of neighbor.

Peace

 

[MariaChristi]

The second joyful mystery. For love of neighbor.

Peace

Dear hazcompat,

Good to hear from you again. Yes, tomorrow’s Feast does help us ponder more deeply this beautiful second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. If you’ll permit my adding my 2 cents to your phrase “For love of neighbor”, I believe there is more to ponder.

There is, of course, Mary’s love for her cousin Elizabeth, and Mary’s love for all her neighbors. Mary knew God’s Commandments well, and kept them, lovingly. Certainly we want to hear her love of neighbor and learn to be humble servants as Mary shows us. Still, I wonder if the words “in haste” give us a hint of possibly more to hear.

When I hear the scripture:

…During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth

It seems to me Mary went with haste in response to the Angel’s words:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

For me, Mary’s “haste” is the urging of her spirit-- so closely united to the Holy Spirit and to the Incarnate Word in her womb. This encourages me to keep praying to the Holy Spirit for His direction. By God’s Grace yes, I want to respond to the true need of my neighbor, but I want to first look to God for without Him I can do nothing. I do not want to “rush” into anything imprudently but to be prayerfully listening and doing the Truth I hear from Him. At least that is some of my pondering… Thanks again for your reply. It is always good to hear from you.

 

[patricius79]

Thanks for your insights. I’m trying to prepare for this feast too. This is a reflection on the mystery of the Visitation from St. Ambrose

crossroadsinitiative.com/saints/marysvisitationofelizabeth/

 

[Richard_White]

Thanks for your insights. I’m trying to prepare for this feast too. This is a reflection on the mystery of the Visitation from St. Ambrose

crossroadsinitiative.com/saints/marysvisitationofelizabeth/

MariaChristi, thank you so much for this wonderful reflection. Patricius79, thank you also for this link to Saint Ambrose’s commentary. His words are very wise indeed.

We must always remember that we are called to go forth in haste to spread the message of Christ to everyone that we come across in our lives and to magnify Him in all that we do. We must cooperate proactively with God’s grace and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and trust that Mary our Mother will help us in our Christian lifestyle.

May God bless you all!

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks for your insights. I’m trying to prepare for this feast too. This is a reflection on the mystery of the Visitation from St. Ambrose

crossroadsinitiative.com/saints/marysvisitationofelizabeth/

Dear brother Pat,

Thanks for the reflection from St. Ambrose. These words of his blessed me especially:

… A soul that believes both conceives and brings forth the Word of God and acknowledges his works.

Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord…In another place we read: Magnify the Lord with me. The Lord is magnified, not because the human voice can add anything to God but because He is magnified within us…

Hope this has been a blessed day for you and for all our brothers and sisters all over the world.

 

[MariaChristi]

MariaChristi, thank you so much for this wonderful reflection. Patricius79, thank you also for this link to Saint Ambrose’s commentary. His words are very wise indeed.

We must always remember that we are called to go forth in haste to spread the message of Christ to everyone that we come across in our lives and to magnify Him in all that we do. We must cooperate proactively with God’s grace and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and trust that Mary our Mother will help us in our Christian lifestyle.

May God bless you all!

Dear Richard,

Thanks for your reply and for your words of encouragement. Please let us continue to pray for one another and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy through Mary. Hope this has been a blessed day for you and for all those you’ve met – bringing Christ as Mary did.