The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the connection of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth to our encounters with the Holy Spirit that reveal the Presence of God.
The reading from the Book of Zephaniah is a Song of Joy about God’s Presence with Israel. The response from the Prophet Isaiah calls us to sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously.
* [12:1–6] Israel’s thanksgiving to the Lord, expressed in language like that of the Psalms. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Mary Visits Elizabeth and proclaims a Song of Praise.
* [1:46–55] Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary’s pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v. 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God’s favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker. (Luke, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth comments that the gift of Ignatian imaginative prayer helps her picture this beautiful scene of women supporting each other through a time of crisis for both. She loves the lessons that these two amazing women teach us.
From Mary we learn to seek the gift of other people that God has given us. From Elizabeth we learn to give others the gift of unconditional love and support when they need it most – a concrete expression of God’s unconditional love for us. Frequently we are called to play each role. Mary and Elizabeth inspire us to risk loving others unconditionally no matter what the circumstances and to reach out to others to give them this same opportunity. (Wirth, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “John prophecies from the womb,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD).
"Not yet born, already John prophesies and, while still in the enclosure of his mother's womb, confesses the coming of Christ with movements of joy - since he could not do so with his voice. As Elizabeth says to holy Mary, 'As soon as you greeted me, the child in my womb exulted for joy.' John exults, then, before he is born. Before his eyes can see what the world looks like, he can recognize the Lord of the world with his spirit. In this regard, I think that the prophetic phrase is appropriate: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you' (Jeremiah 1:5). Thus we ought not to marvel that after Herod put him in prison, he continued to announce Christ to his disciples from his confinement, when even confined in the womb he preached the same Lord by his movements." (excerpt from SERMON 5.4) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us comments that this scene is more than a happy family reunion. It’s two women, sisters in the Lord, rejoicing over God’s work in them. Not only has each of them conceived miraculously, but they have both been privileged to play a pivotal role in God’s plan of salvation.
How has God lifted you up? Maybe he has helped you overcome a particular sin. Maybe his mercy has delivered you from shame or fear. Maybe he has healed you or spoken just the right word at just the right time or accompanied you during a season of suffering. Whatever it is, give praise to the Lord for it today. Join Mary in rejoicing in God, your Savior! “Lord, my spirit rejoices in your saving power!” (Meditation: Luke 1:39-5, 2022)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the joy of Jerusalem in the understanding of the Presence of God with them. The three months of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth connects to the three months the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the region during the time of David. Friar Jude reminds us of the status of Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Diana Butler Bass, who speaks about seeing Christianity in a fresh way. In her book, Freeing Jesus, Bass describes our relationship with Jesus as a dynamic opportunity to see God and ourselves perpetually anew.
If we think that being with Jesus means getting the right answers from a creed or remembering points of doctrine from a sermon, we probably will not manage to truly know Jesus. We will only succeed in keeping the right responses scribbled on some back page of our memory. “Who are you, Lord?” [Acts 9:3–5] is the question of a lifetime, to be asked and experienced over and over again. That query frees Jesus to show up in our lives over and over again, and entails remembering where we first met, how we struggled with each other along the road, and what we learned in the process. [1] (Rohr, 2022)
Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant who calls us to joy and praise in the blessing of God among us.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/12?2
Luke, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?39
Meditation: Luke 1:39-5. (2022, May 31). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/05/31/397214/
Rohr, R. (2022, May 31). Seeing Jesus Again — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/seeing-jesus-again-2022-05-31/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=may31a
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/053122.html
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