This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
“Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel,” says today’s psalm. Of all the themes upon which we may meditate on this feast of the Visitation, this one is particularly beautiful.
Mary’s Canticle, one of the most beautiful prayers in all of Scripture, full as it is of faith, trust, and gratitude, could fill many days’ meditations. Are we this certain, mindful, grateful of all that the Lord has given to us?
We might also contemplate very fruitfully the spontaneous generosity of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, after having just received word of her own unexpected pregnancy from an angel, did not hesitate to undertake a challenging journey to be present to her cousin and friend who would need her in the final months before the birth of her son.
But in the end, all of Mary’s joy, gratitude, certainty, and even generosity points back to the one fact called out by today’s psalm: “Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” As Mary walks up to Elizabeth’s front door, God Himself, Creator of the universe, is present as a child within her. He is present with the intent of bring salvation to the entire human race.
If Elizabeth bubbles over with joy and awe, she does so in response to the fact presented in today’s psalm: “Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” God Himself, powered by the feet of her cousin, approaches her very doorstep.
A thought to contemplate on this feast of the Visitation: To us, who enjoy the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, is God any less wonderfully present than on that Judean doorstep that day? Do we have any less cause for joy?
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of the fullness of Mary’s joyful faith and hope in the power of God to be present and save, such that it fills and permeates your entire psychology and every aspect of your outlook on life’s realities.
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