Blessed Among Women

 

  Luke 1:39-45

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

 This moving encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, and Jesus and John, is perpetuated in the dearly beloved prayer, the Hail Mary, the core of the Rosary. Let us take a moment to visualize the scene, hear the words of Elizabeth and feel the joy that both women and their unborn children experience. That joy is repeated in Bethlehem and will be found again in our churches and homes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We will express our joy in gifts and special Christmas foods and treats, but it all stems from the staggering reality that God became one of us, a fact greater in magnitude than the limitless borders of the universe now becoming more apparent to us thanks to the James Webb telescope. Yes, Mary is blessed among all women, but we might ask with Elizabeth why we are so favored to welcome the Son of God among us, and stop to realize and relish the truth that God so loves us that he gave us his Son to be one of us who shows us the way to become God's favored ones ourselves, a fact that adds extra weight and meaning to the "merry: in our familiar Christmas greeting. We can't praise and thank God enough for this great gift, but let's do our best to try.

Bro Rene

Dear God, thank you for the wonder and gift of Jesus, and help us show our gratitude by living what he taught us. Amen