Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Who do you turn to when you have news to share, good or bad? After my husband, I usually turn to my mom and my two sisters, and they to me. We have shared so much “news” over the years, the exciting news of engagements, pregnancies and births; the difficult news of miscarriage, cancer and divorce; the both exciting and difficult news of moving to another state or another country. We’ve shared our hopes and our joys, our hurts and our anger, our fears and our grief. And we’ve encouraged each other when we’ve needed encouragement.
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth and we read in Luke’s gospel (1: 39-56) of Elizabeth greeting Mary who has shared her exciting (and probably somewhat scary and overwhelming) news with her. Luke’s account of the visitation follows the Annunciation in which the angel appears to Mary and announces that she will conceive the Son of God. The angel also encourages Mary with the news that Elizabeth, who was thought to be barren, has also conceived a child. Sometime after, Mary goes “in haste” to visit Elizabeth. She is clearly eager to share her news with Elizabeth and spend some time with her, perhaps sharing their stories about how they learned of their news and what their pregnancies have been like so far. I love how Elizabeth rejoices with Mary; even the child in her womb leaps with joy! And Elizabeth encourages and affirms Mary in her experience and “yes” to God by proclaiming, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Just as in today’s first reading in which Paul instructs the early Christians in his letter to the Romans (12: 9-16) to “exercise hospitality” and “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep,” we, like Elizabeth, are called to welcome, be present to and encourage one another. How can we show hospitality to the people we encounter this week? Is there someone who needs us to weep with them in their sadness or grief, or rejoice with them in their good news? And what about the people we encounter who we would rather avoid? Paul exhorts us to love one another with mutual affection.
Returning to Luke’s gospel, Mary responds to Elizabeth’s greeting with a canticle, the Magnificat, in which she praises God for lifting up the lowly and filling the hungry with good things. How can we show hospitality to the lowly and poor in the next week or month? More than just writing a check for a charitable donation, can we find ways to be present to someone in need? Perhaps taking time to listen to a lonely neighbor, preparing a meal for the homeless, or offering a cool drink to someone at our door looking for work on a hot day. In our ongoing relationships as well, may we be mindful of the call to be hospitable, sharing our presence and offering support and encouragement to each other as we strive to answer and live out what God is calling us to, as did Mary and Elizabeth.
-Eileen Miller