Mary Proclaims a Revolution of Love
May 31, 2017 – Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (1:39-56)
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.
Reflect: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb. Something powerful was happening between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. In an act of great service, Mary, pregnant herself, travels to assist Elizabeth who is awaiting the birth of her son John. The two women were obviously caught up in intense prayer. In an act of love – service and prayer – Elizabeth’s baby leaped for joy upon Mary’s greeting. What a divine encounter: woman to woman; unborn child to unborn child! This encounter becomes a moment of announcing praise and glory to God for an incredible intervention, but also a proclamation of the lavish love and mercy of God upon those who trust in him: the humble, the lowly, the hungry. It isn’t any coincidence that this transformative moment occurred between two women who trusted God beyond measure, even when they couldn’t understand all the details or even the why of what was happening in their lives. It isn’t any accident that both were motivated and driven by a sacrificial love marked by service; forgetting oneself for the sake of the other. What Mary carries within her womb, what she announces by the beautiful Magnificat prayer is nothing less than a proclamation of a revolution of love. A revolution led by the God of love. We are invited to imitate his love and join in the only revolution that will transform the world!
Questions: How might God be inviting me to extend myself to others through acts of service? Do I pick up the banner of God by showing profound respect, honor and care for others; especially the marginalized? Can I invite God to send out the Holy Spirit to give me a new heart and a new spirit marked by extraordinary love?
Pray: Loving God, faithful to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, may my life, together with the Virgin Mary, magnify your greatness and proclaim your transformative love to all the world. I pray this in the powerful and perfect name of Jesus. Amen.
All generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Alleluia, alleluia!
