Gospel: Luke 1:39-56
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,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Patrick (Paddy) Hannifin RIP.
Reflection:
When she was still alive, my late grandmother Pilar used to spend a month or so in the Philippines every year. Apart from bringing us gifts from the States, she would check on how we were doing. In some of our conversations, she would remind me and my siblings to study hard and pray. “Lord, teach me Your will”, was a prayer she told me to say often (I still say it until now!). She gave us affirmation for our achievements but told us off for our mediocrity. I used to wonder then where she got that stamina to travel every year just to be with us. Despite her old age, she was still globetrotting.
In today’s Gospel, we read of another woman who took pains of travelling to be by her loved one. Mary, by that time, would have been on her first trimester of pregnancy, a delicate stage in child-bearing. Regardless, she “set out and traveled to the hill country in haste”. Our Lady travelling in haste reminds me of how the Spirit drove Jesus to the desert after His baptism (Mark 1:12). I believe that the Spirit also drove her to Judea to be by the side of her older cousin who was also expecting a baby. The Spirit set Our Lady’s immaculate heart on fire that the only sensible thing to do is to “give without counting the cost” (St Ignatius of Loyola). This same Spirit, I am pretty much sure, was the stamina that guided and strengthened my grandmother in reaching out to us. In a world that needs God’s love, we too can be empowered by the Holy Spirit if we allow Him to.
- How far will you go to reach out to someone in need?
- How does the Holy Spirit empower you to be like Mary?
- Whose ‘visitation’ made you a better person and why?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of Mama Mary, keep our hearts open to the Holy Spirit so that, inflamed by His love, we may also come to the aid of those in need.
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.
(Pietro)
