…and Holy is His Name

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals. Zephaniah 3:17-18a

"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.” Luke 1:46-49

Piety

Study

“We interrupt this broadcast…”

The sheer irony of the cyclical nature of the Church calendar amazes me.  Here we are, just days away from Pentecost – the bona fide birthday of the church – solidly ensconced in the seventh and final week of Easter.  Yet we interrupt this Resurrection story to bring you breaking news from before the Nativity. We keep vigil until the descent of the holy Spirit and the third glorious mystery of the Rosary in just four more days.

Just 36 hours after the resurrected presence of Jesus ascended from his earthly kingdom to his heavenly realm, we sing, “Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” Among us?  Still?  YES!  We have the reminder of his ever-present Eucharistic presence.  

Joy collides head on with…joy! Even the Responsorial Psalm takes a departure from the Psalms and sings out verses from the Prophet Isaiah. Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter Fairfax!

Action

Who will you welcome into your world today? 

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us to exercise the same kind of welcoming hospitality that Elizabeth (and back flipping John) showed toward her visiting cousin Mary and the baby in her womb. Entertaining angels, indeed!

Although I can honestly admit to never being pregnant, I can say I placed my hand on Beth’s stomach to feel the kicks of first Regina and then Sarah as they were getting ready to burst forth into the world.  The feast of the Visitation reminds us that the baby kicking interrupts Mary’s day, Elizabeth’s day, and now our day just like this feast interrupts the perfectly last week of Easter. 

In fact, today, in another sweet twist of the calendar (and the timely

intervention of modern medicine), a little baby is entering the world in New Hampshire adding to the extended DeCristofaro household. But, we are fully expecting the doctor there to proclaim in joy and grace, "It's a girl!" to Michael and Lauren DeCristofaro.

Last week, the Maryknoll Missioners (@MaryknollFrsBrs) posted a comment and photo to Twitter on the interregnum between Ascension and Pentecost. They wrote: 

“The time between Ascension and Pentecost is filled with emptiness."  

Today, though, we offer a profound, resounding, "No." The placement of the second joy-filled mystery of the Rosary challenges that statement.  You, too, can challenge the emptiness by practicing hospitality on your own.  Who will you welcome into your world today? 

Canticle of Mary Artwork by Jen Norton Credit:  https://fineartamerica.com/featured/canticle-of-mary-jen-norton.html

Lauren DeCristofaro photo by @kellyandkristinaphotography