Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.
Traveled in haste
1. In haste. We’ve come to the end of the month of Mary with this beautiful celebration, “The Visitation”. The Visitation reminds us of “Our Lady of Charity”, because charity is just that, helping without expecting anything in return. To help is to take Jesus who’s in our heart, to others. So, today ask Mary to grant you to have a generous heart and to be attentive to the needs of others and not focus only on yourself and your problems. Your life is beautiful, but it is more beautiful if you share it.
2. Leaped for joy. I’ll tell you something I’ve learned throughout my life, especially in times of crisis. Please interpret this from a spiritual point of view, so there will be no misunderstandings. There are people who accompany you in your life because they love you and want to help you reach your destiny. They are on board because they love you and accept you the way you are. They are long- term friends and will be at your side in good times and bad. I’d add that if you’re in trouble they will get into trouble with you. They are unconditional and of course, you shouldn’t lose them because they’re the ones who will visit you even in extreme situations! They’d never say something like “you’re my friend as long as you believe the same thing I do”. On the other hand, there are also those who call themselves friends , but when you’re in need and call them they’ll say: “don’t involve me; don’t put me through that”. So, in this sense, Mary is your forever mother and friend, she will always be there, through thick and thin.
3. Three months. Mary does not absorb Elizabeth’s life, instead she keeps her company and walks along with her. True friends and Christians walk alongside you but don’t absorb your life. We support the life of others but we don’t create a relationship of dependence that threatens their dignity. We must help others to lead a free life without turning them into slaves of our decisions. If we help others, we must help and liberate, not help and enslave. We are Christians and not mere social workers. We bring more than material or temporary solutions, we bring the living Christ to others, just like Mary did.
Always remember something good is on the way.
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
