Lk. 1:39-556
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“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.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
The Holy Spirit filled Mary with pure joy and a sense of holy excitement at the news that she would be the new ark carrying the new covenant, Jesus. Mary traveled in haste to see her kinswoman Elizabeth who bore John the Baptist in which the unborn child John leapt with joy in encountering Jesus in Mary’s womb. The joy that the Holy Spirit provides is one that we cannot keep bottled up for we too must travel in haste to allow the urgency of sharing the good news of God’s love and of the gospel to others. Let us reflect on Mary’s Magnificat this day where we too shall proclaim the greatness of the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior.
StreetEvangelist 