Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out in those days 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." (Lk 1:39-45)
How refreshing Elizabeth's words must have been to Mary at this time. Here she was with the son of God in her womb, and she knew of course that no one would believe her. When she went to visit Elizabeth, however, Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit was given the special insight into who the child was in Mary's womb. Elizabeth knew that she was blessed that Mary came to visit and knew that Mary was special because of her belief and trust in God.
This scene that we read about in today's gospel reading is of course the visitation, the second joyful mystery that we meditate on during the Holy Rosary. I think that there are some key insights that we can take away from this mystery. One is that God will always send us signs that we are doing His will. They may be subtle or they may be quite obvious (as was the case for Mary), but He does send us these signs especially at times when we need them the most.
The other insight that we can take from this mystery is that it is the Holy Spirit who reveals truth about God and about our lives. In today's reading, Elizabeth had no prior knowledge about Mary and Jesus, but it was the Holy Spirit who revealed the truth about them to her. We too can benefit from the knowledge and wisdom that the Holy Spirit seeks to give each one of us. It is through the Holy Spirit that we can come to know Christ better in our lives and to know His truth.
As we come to the end of this Advent season, may we continue to grow closer to Jesus in both love and knowledge through the Holy Spirit. May we look to the great example of the Holy Family for the way in which we are to trust and follow God in our own lives.
Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for all that you give to us and for all that you bless us with. Lord please send your spirit so that we may be full of zeal and life, and that we may come to know the truth about you more fully in our lives. Lord, we pray that your will be done in our lives and that we can humble ourselves before your greatness. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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