'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb'
Reflections on the readings for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (May 31, 2019): ZEP 3:14-18; ISAIAH 12:2-3,4,5-6; LK 1:39:56
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
Only in the Gospel according to St. Luke do we hear the wonderful story of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.
It immediately follows the Annunciation when the Blessed Virgin agrees to become the mother of the Son of God. She declares herself God’s servant, willing to do whatever He asks of her. Today we commemorate the meeting between Mary and her pregnant cousin. The young woman must have known how much the elderly Elizabeth and Zechariah had longed for a child. Surely she wanted to be with them to celebrate their joy and to glorify God for His goodness to all of them. “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” (Luke 1:39-41).
In the presence of Jesus within His mother Mary’s womb, John was filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, leaping for joy as he was freed from original sin. The Blessed Virgin carried our Savior into the world not only as His mother, but also as a faithful daughter of Almighty God. And, like her, all of us who bear Christ in our soul through the gift of baptism are called to take Him with us wherever we go. Like Mary, we hold our Savior close to our heart as we go about our daily lives and share Him with others with our deeds, our words and our prayers.
