Luke 1: 39-56
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Mary's actions and words recorded in this passage from St. Luke inspire us on this Feast of the Visitation and in the United States, Memorial Day, to do the same: To visit the graves of our beloved deceased, especially those who have given their lives in the service of our country, and unite with them in prayer, and to gather to celebrate the gift of family, especially this year after this long period of separation, and above all to thank God for the many gifts he has bestowed on us through our family and those who gave their lives for our country. Mary "went with haste" to be with Elizabeth and stayed with her three months. What a gift! Elizabeth recognized the precious Gift that Mary carried and praised God. This is a day for us to thank and praise God for the great Gift of Jesus as one of us and for the great gift of family without whose love we would be only half the person we are now. May we make Mary's Magnificat our own prayer of thanksgiving today.
Bro. Rene
No comments:
Post a Comment