31 May 2021
Feast of the Visitation of the BVM
One of my Jesuit brothers shed light on our gospel reading today for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He shared how his culture in eastern India would view and handle an unmarried couple who became pregnant. It is typical in my Jesuit brother’s home area that the expectant mother and the father potentially are sent away separately to live with family members at a distance from their homes. While the couple is safe, the two families of the couple represent their interests. The families deliberate about the best way to proceed and possibly results in a marriage arrangement. Regardless of our cultural intuition, I think my Jesuit brother’s culture reflects more closely what Mary’s unusual pregnancy likely meant in her time and place.
Arriving at Elizabeth’s home, Mary was likely anxious leaving her home and network of support. Mary’s visitation with Elizabeth could have been a place of safety that provided a respite from the concerns that must have filled her heart. The remarkability of this encounter is the impact on Mary. She directs her gratitude towards God in the Magnificat canticle in our Gospel reading today. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” Mary sees the reversal in her life of that which causes her shame and confusion to be the source of blessing for her and the whole world. Her canticle offers us hope not to despair about those things which make us feel low, in our sight or in that of others. God’s mercy has the power to transform the areas of our lives we would readily offer as reasons or symptoms that we lie outside of God’s concern.
What is an area in your life in which you feel anxious, confused, or frustrated? How has God’s mercy touched this part of your life?