The Gospel for the feast of the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is taken from Luke 1st, chapter 39th to the 56th verse. 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. 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. And Mary said, my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed. The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown strength of his arm. He has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. We have in this story two women uniquely touched with something that seems so appropriate as we are at the moment in history when the new kingdom is being established. It’s about a new birth, about a system that was for years and years struggling to do what it was supposed to do and never did it. It’s about the mysterious overshadowing of the Holy Spirit manifesting itself inside of us with new birth and new life. It’s a beautiful reminder of a time that we now live in the time of the Spirit, the Spirit of truth. And it brings us to new life.
Please spend the next moments in reflection, and then I will close with a prayer. Closing prayer. Father, you continually awaken in us new insights, new thoughts, new understanding of what it is to be a follower of yours, to proclaim your spirit of truth to the world. Bless us with confidence that you are guiding us, that you will use our humble struggles to accomplish great things. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
