"Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” Intriguingly, Luke doesn’t tell us why Mary traveled with a haste 70-80 miles to see her cousin Elizabeth?
Perhaps she is excited to share the news. Perhaps, she feels overwhelmed and needs an empathetic listener. Perhaps, she needs support to share her story with Joseph and her parents. Sometimes we find ourselves overwhelmed in situations that are new and incomprehensible. It may be the first day, the first week, the first year of being a married person, a divorced person, a parent, or a widow dealing with a strange feeling. I remember looking at myself in a mirror after my ordination, reflecting on the person in the clerical robe and wondering if that was really me.
Why does Mary go to Elizabeth? Why doesn’t she go to Anna, her mother; Joseph, her fiancé; the local clergy; or a friend around the corner? She goes to Elizabeth, her older cousin, who is getting on in years, said to be barren, and now six months pregnant. Elizabeth must have had something that Mary was looking for. Maybe she saw Elizabeth as someone who would love and not judge her, someone who could participate in the beauty, pain, and mystery of what was happening, someone who would offer faith, hope, and love when they are in short supply.
We don’t know for sure what she expected, but we do know she was welcomed warmly by Elizabeth and joyfully by the babe in Elizabeth’s womb. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth blessed her and the fruit of her womb. These words of blessing, commendation, and affirmation will remain with Mary for the rest of her life. They will echo in the silence as she ponders and treasures the shepherds’ words at Jesus’ birth. They will ring in her ears when Simeon declares that a sword will pierce her soul. They will call her back to herself when her twelve-year-old son runs away to be in his Father’s house. They will hold her broken heart at the cross. And they will sing with joy at the empty tomb.
Dear friends, the meeting of these two moms is a meeting of two women of great faith. Through the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth offered words that would meet Mary’s spiritual and emotional needs. Let us pray that we may be so in tune with the same Holy Spirit that we will have the right words for those in our lives who are in need.
- Father Jilson's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
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