The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast
Gospel – Luke 1:39-56
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour”. Today we are celebrating the Feast that commemorates the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, as described in the Gospel of Luke. The feast highlights the humility, charity, and joy of the Virgin Mary as she visits Elizabeth to assist her during her pregnancy. The feast emphasises the faith of Mother Mary in the word of the Angel at Annunciation, her joy in the encounter with Elizabeth and her humility and charity in assisting Elizabeth during her pregnancy. It also celebrates the sanctification of John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb and the recognition of Jesus’ presence by John even before his birth. The encounter between Mary and Elizabeth is marked by profound joy, as evidenced by the leaping of John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb and Mary’s hymn of praise. Along with the humility of Mother Mary and her spirit of service, three months with Elizabeth, we are called to meditate with the recognition of Jesus’ divine nature even in the womb, as acknowledged by John the Baptist and Elizabeth. The underlying truth is that when Jesus is present in us, we will be humble and when we are humble our encounters will become joyful. Let’s reflect: Do I succeed in transmitting the joy of the presence of Jesus in us to those whom I encounter?