Word to the Wise
Monday, May 31, 2010 - The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
[Zephaniah 3:14-18a OR Romans 12:9-16 and Luke 1:39-56]....And Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb...." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord....." [Gospel of Luke]
From a consideration of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity (yesterday's feast) to a consideration of an infant conceived in the womb of a human mother through the action of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity is quite a theological "leap!" I don't think this is quite what most of us think about when we "image" the event of Mary's "visitation" to Elizabeth, her cousin. It is much easier (especially for women!) to empathize with the two pregnant women, celebrating together the profound mystery of a new creation of life within their own bodies, especially when neither pregnancy was "expected." This celebration jumps from the page to the imagination in the words of the two women, quoted above. Elizabeth (and John the Baptist within) recognize the unique role of Mary (and Jesus within). Mary's response to Elizabeth's greeting is enshrined in the great canticle we call "the Magnificat!" Behind the simple humanity of the two women in their excitement and the majesty of the greetings stands the primary mystery of our faith! God becomes human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The "visitation" (as we call it in the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary) is a preaching event - a proclamation of God's power and intervention in human history! It is a prophetic event as the words of the Magnificat so strongly affirm! Great things have happened not just to Mary but will happen as a result of the birth of her child. By coincidence, the feast falls this year on a Monday, the day when, traditionally, the Joyful Mysteries are celebrated in the recitation of the rosary! This is an opportunity to "take out and shake out" our rosaries and join Elizabeth and Mary in their joy and gratitude for the great things the Almighty has done! AMEN