Rejoice With Mary

 

 Luke 1:39-56

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on 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 for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
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 offspring forever.”

⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

We end the Month of May, a month dedicated to Mary, with this beautiful, yet simple feast of the  Visitation, a trip to a cousin made in haste in order to BE with her for the remainder of her pregnancy and for three months after the birth of the boy, John. What does this show us of Mary? It's what we rely on: her presence, her loving care, her concern that we have what we need...and beyond...as we live our daily challenges.  Mary's Magnificat sums it up: Yes God has blessed her (and us), but the focus is on him, his power to bring down the mighty and raise the lowly, to fill the hungry and dismiss the rich, and to be there for us with mercy.  Let us spend time with THE MAGNIFICAT and listen to Mary pray it for us.

Bro, Rene

Dear God, thank you for this feast and Mary's simple yet profound summary of your great love and care for us.  May  we spend the day singing our own Magnificat for all the wonders you have worked and will continue to work in our lives. Amen.