Mary visited Elizabeth because the Angel Gabriel told her Elizabeth was with child. Elizabeth needed Mary and she responded to that need. Mother Mary has been responding to our needs for 2000 years. Do we, as Elizabeth, before us, accept the love and compassion of our Lady? Do we recognize her and revere her as the Mother of God? Do we defend her when she is maligned? Is she our Mother? In Guadalupe, she said: "Am I not here who am your Mother?" Well, is she our Mother? Do we share her with those who do not know who she is? Or are we afraid of what they will think? Are we more polite than holy?
The next words, we hear in Holy Scripture, are a confirmation of the Angel's words to Mary, "Blest is she who trusted that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled." Elizabeth confirmed, the Son of God was present in Mary's womb. Everything the Angel had told Mary had come to pass. Elizabeth knew all about it. Mary's soul soared to the heights of Heaven. She was filled beyond the boundaries of humanity. Her face flushed; her eyes beamed. Every part of her body was raised heavenward. She proclaimed her Magnificat. We are gifted to see the full blown image of Mary, filled with the Holy Spirit, as she proclaims in words, what has been in her heart, bursting to come out. With Mary, we proclaim her Magnificat:
"My soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
Behold, henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed;
For He who is Mighty has done great things for me,
and Holy is His Name;
His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His Arm,
He has scattered the proud in the deceit of their heart,
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has received Israel, His servant,
being mindful of His mercy.
Even as He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever."
We can visualize the Angels surrounding Mary, their Queen, as she made her pronouncement, guarding her, hugging her with their wings, loving her. If we look with the eyes of the heart and not the head, we can experience the power and joy of the Holy Spirit encompassing the entire room. Did Mary turn to Elizabeth? Were their eyes filled with tears of joy? Did they embrace each other, knowingly? Did choirs of Angels sing praises to God, with this proclamation of Mary, Daughter of the Father, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and Mother of the Savior of the world?
In Mary's Magnificat, we see an explosion of total acceptance of the powerful role the Lord is playing in her life, not only for her, but for all mankind. Most likely, these things had been building up in her mind and heart from the time the Angel came to her. But when Elizabeth affirmed what only Mary had known until that time, it had to come out. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She had to put to words, what was burning inside her. Her Magnificat was a Canticle of Thanksgiving. There was wisdom in every word she spoke, a wisdom only God could have given her. She acknowledged that God and His Gifts to her.Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Roles were reversed. The Mary that Elizabeth had known was the child of her sister Anne's old age. They were generations apart. Elizabeth could have been Mary's mother many times over. Mary had been the child consecrated to the Temple. But the minute Elizabeth saw her, she knew this was no longer a child, but a woman specially blessed. Elizabeth wanted to wait on Mary. But Mary had come for a purpose, to serve her cousin. It reminds us of Jesus, washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. He was the Master; but He insisted on serving. Like Jesus, Mary set the example.
"Pray the Rosary."The next words, we hear in Holy Scripture, are a confirmation of the Angel's words to Mary, "Blest is she who trusted that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled." Elizabeth confirmed, the Son of God was present in Mary's womb. Everything the Angel had told Mary had come to pass. Elizabeth knew all about it. Mary's soul soared to the heights of Heaven. She was filled beyond the boundaries of humanity. Her face flushed; her eyes beamed. Every part of her body was raised heavenward. She proclaimed her Magnificat. We are gifted to see the full blown image of Mary, filled with the Holy Spirit, as she proclaims in words, what has been in her heart, bursting to come out. With Mary, we proclaim her Magnificat:
"My soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
Behold, henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed;
For He who is Mighty has done great things for me,
and Holy is His Name;
His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His Arm,
He has scattered the proud in the deceit of their heart,
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has received Israel, His servant,
being mindful of His mercy.
Even as He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever."
We can visualize the Angels surrounding Mary, their Queen, as she made her pronouncement, guarding her, hugging her with their wings, loving her. If we look with the eyes of the heart and not the head, we can experience the power and joy of the Holy Spirit encompassing the entire room. Did Mary turn to Elizabeth? Were their eyes filled with tears of joy? Did they embrace each other, knowingly? Did choirs of Angels sing praises to God, with this proclamation of Mary, Daughter of the Father, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and Mother of the Savior of the world?
In Mary's Magnificat, we see an explosion of total acceptance of the powerful role the Lord is playing in her life, not only for her, but for all mankind. Most likely, these things had been building up in her mind and heart from the time the Angel came to her. But when Elizabeth affirmed what only Mary had known until that time, it had to come out. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She had to put to words, what was burning inside her. Her Magnificat was a Canticle of Thanksgiving. There was wisdom in every word she spoke, a wisdom only God could have given her. She acknowledged that God and His Gifts to her.Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Roles were reversed. The Mary that Elizabeth had known was the child of her sister Anne's old age. They were generations apart. Elizabeth could have been Mary's mother many times over. Mary had been the child consecrated to the Temple. But the minute Elizabeth saw her, she knew this was no longer a child, but a woman specially blessed. Elizabeth wanted to wait on Mary. But Mary had come for a purpose, to serve her cousin. It reminds us of Jesus, washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. He was the Master; but He insisted on serving. Like Jesus, Mary set the example.
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