Thoughts for the Day

Mary visits Elizabeth

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Having received the message from from the Angel Gabriel and submitted to God's will, Mary travels to Judea to see her cousin Elizabeth. Mary must have felt that Elizabeth would understand what had happened to her, for she too had been touched by God. When Gabriel spoke to Zechariah in the Temple it was six months ago, so news would have travelled to Galilee that the priest had had a vision, lost his power of speech, and that Elizabeth previously barren was now pregnant. We should also notice that Mary has to travel some 80-100 miles from Galilee in the north to the Judean hills in the south of the country.

Another notable thing is the two women's faith, and the mention of the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth believed the word of the Lord given to her husband Zechariah in the Temple, that their son would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. We can see this in her word "Lord" for Mary's baby and that she is filled with the Holy Spirit. The third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the power arm of God, as it were and through Him she is able to pronounce a blessing on Mary and on her baby, because she believes God's messenger.

Through two such different woman, one so young and the other much older, and because of their faith, and their active agreement to God's word, His plan for His people continues.

Heavenly Father,
You saw the faith of Elizabeth and Mary,
and that in their humanity
they offered themselves as Your servants
to fulfill Your mission to Your people.
May we offer ourselves this Advent
as Your servants
to fulfill the work You have set
aside for us to do.
Amen.