Scripture Reading(s)
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Reflections
What is interesting about this part in Luke’s gospel is that Elizabeth clearly knows that Mary is pregnant with Jesus and that referred to Mary as “the mother of our Lord”. It seems almost as if Luke skipped some details or as if he was missing some information. I believe it’s parts like this in the gospel story were we naturally interject our own assumptions as human since no information is present. The two families likely had correspondence. I know if a woman in my family conceived the savior, we would have all known about it.
Either way, I think the important thing is that Mary “believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” As with all the great figures in the Bible, Mary was a person of great faith. One can wonder if God would have used her if she was full of doubt. I assume that Mary’s faith was main factor in her being chosen. The author of Hebrews states that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).
[Featured image is a 1491 painting by Domenico Ghirlandaio, titled: “The Visitation”.]