May 31, 2011
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Beth DeCristofaro
Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:9-13)
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 (Luke 1 39-41)
Piety
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 forever.” (Luke 1:46-56)
Study
Let love be sincere. God gives us so many ways to love. Paul lists some here. Earlier in Paul’s epistle he tells the Roman community: I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. (Acts 12:1) We see Mary offering her body in her “yes” to God. And then, in an act of love, she goes to visit Elizabeth. Mary’s prayer speaks of the ways the Israelites experienced God’s love. Jesus Beatitudes completes that experience by showing us, as the Body of Christ, how to love
Paul tells us not to lose our zeal. God gives us the opportunity to see God in this wounded world. God offers us a chance to experience, like Elizabeth, the leaping joy in recognizing God. In the everyday, in our sorrows, fears and anxiety, it is our piety, our trust and our being open to the surprises, the presence, the outreaching of God in which we can experience this joy.
Action
Visit the sacred art of Bro. Mickey McGrath and see his exuberant take on the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. http://www.shop.beestill.org/product.sc?productId=78&categoryId=3 . Go through today looking for the unexpected presence of God. If this is a particularly difficult time for you, keep Mary’s prayer in your heart to remember the ways in which our God cared for the Chosen People.