Joy is deep for the humble

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary commemorate the response of Mary to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to travel to visit her cousin Elizabeth who, in her old age, has been gifted by God with a pregnancy. This meeting of two specially born, to the virgin and to the elderly woman is a loud proclamation in Jewish tradition that the hand of God is at work in a large way. The shouts of joy in the text from the Prophet Zephaniah are for the coming to Israel of one who will renew the relationship of intimacy between God and Israel, the Messiah. This understanding is expressed in the lives of the humble who have been faithful in trusting that the promises of God to them would be fulfilled. Friar Jude Winkler points out that the occasion of the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth is is used by the texts to celebrate an example of the marks of a true Christian, in the parting words of the letter of Paul to the Romans. The virtues are described as  loving one another, extending hospitality, contributing to the needs of others and being humbly aware of our giftedness which does not raise us in pride but puts us in communion with those who persecute us, who weep and who like ourselves live aware of the great mystery of our journey. The proclamation of Mary in the Gospel of Luke is the mission of believers to magnify the action of God in our lives.  The miracles we have experienced in the action of the Holy Spirit  in our journey which have changed our direction and attitude are to be proclaimed by our lives. The text is a recall of the praise of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 over the gift of the child Samuel to her whereby the humiliation she had endured as the childless wife is lifted and the people are aware of the action of God to bring joy and support to His people.