Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Our hearts are made to rejoice in the presence of the One to whom we belong. We see this joy in Saint John the Baptist who leaps for joy at the coming of the Lord in the Gospel today. We hear this joy in the words of Saint Elizabeth and Mary the mother of the Lord. They all rejoice that the Lord to whom they belong has come to be near to them. And in a particular way, Mary continues to make this presence of the Lord manifest.
Mary comes to be an instrument of the love of the Lord whose presence she bears. She visits the house of St. Elizabeth and St. Zechariah in order to come and help them prepare for the birth of their child. There is a lot to prepare, and Elizabeth needed a lot of assistance as the day of her son’s birth came closer and closer. The Gospel says that Mary stayed for three months to help her cousin, before returning home. That is a lot of help, and especially for a young mother in the first months of her own pregnancy, it is a tremendous display of the love and care the God has given to Mary to share.
As we pray today, let us thank the Lord for those whose love and care has reminded us of the presence of the Lord and so has brought a different kind of lasting joy to our hearts. And let us ask the Lord to continue to share His love and care with us and show us whom He wants us to share that charity with in our home, neighborhood, and in our daily life.