Mary Visits Elizabeth

Reflecting on the Day of Pentecost: Three Days after Sunday (Year A)

Scripture

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

Psalter: Psalm 113

Epistle: Romans 12:9-16b

Gospel: Luke 1:39-57

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Prayer

Blessed God, who danced in our hearts, filling us with the knowledge of your presence: let your proclamation sing forth from us as it sang from the lips of Hannah and Elizabeth, announcing the coming of your promise and the fulfillment of your desire. Amen.

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Reflection

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Luke 1:39-57)

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is a significant event in the Christian tradition, specifically in the Gospel of Luke. According to the Luke, Mary who was pregnant with Jesus visited her relative Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for Jesus.

After the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary traveled to Elizabeth’ home, where she lived with her husband Zechariah, the priest. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped with joy and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed a blessing upon Mary recognizing her as the mother of her Lord.

The visitation is often seen as a moment of great joy and celebration. It illustrates the close connection between Jesus and John the Baptist. While Jesus is the central figure in the Gospels, John’s story is essential to understanding Jesus’ ministry. The event also highlights Mary’s faith and obedience to God’s plan, as well as her willingness to support and care for her relative Elizabeth during her pregnancy. The Visitation is commemorated and celebrated in various Christian traditions, particularly within Catholicism, with the Feast of the Visitation observed on May 31st, approximately seven months before Christmas when Mary gives birth to Jesus.

PRAYER: Blessed God, who invited us to be handmaids of your creative power: Bless us as you blessed Hannah, Elizabeth, and Mary, filling our barren hearts with your fertile word, nurturing faith within us, sustaining us as we ripen with hope, until your desire calls us to the time of labor, and we give birth to your incarnate love. Amen.

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