The Visitation between Mary and
Elizabeth is really a revelation that begins with the Annunciation. Together, these two events reveal how much
God loves us, how merciful God is, and how much God wants to be involved in our
lives. Because God is still at work in
our lives, this revelation has important implications for us today.
For one, God does not impose himself
on us. God asks for our cooperation and
waits for our response. That is the true
nature of love and mercy. The
Annunciation provides the evidence. The Angel Gabriel’s message to Mary is not
an imposition. After his announcement, Gabriel
waits for Mary’s response, for apparently none of what he has said will unfold
without her consent. And, Mary’s
immediate response is not to consent, but to ask for more information. Given her current marital status, she wants
to know how this can be.
Mary’s question shows us that it’s
okay to ask God what’s going on. We need
explanation and we like to have evidence.
That is our nature. Although it
was clear that Gabriel is a messenger from the Lord, Mary is not afraid to ask
what was happening. Her question shows that she is paying attention to God, to
his message, and to her own life. The
same is true for us. When we ask God
about what is happening in our lives, we show him that we are not just
passively wandering in the wilderness refusing to ask for directions and hoping
for the best. We care about his message
and want to understand what he has in store for us.
Sensitive to Mary’s misgivings,
Gabriel reassures Mary with news about her cousin Elizabeth. He explains that, although Elizabeth is
considered too old to have a child, she has indeed conceived a son, for nothing
is impossible for God. Only then does Mary accept the Lord’s invitation. Only then does Mary consent with the now
familiar reply, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me
according to your Word.”
In this way, we also learn from Mary
that God will tell us. When she asked how her role in God’s plan was even
possible in light of her situation, the Angel did not brush off Mary’s question. Gabriel explained how things would
unfold. However mysterious that answer
might have seemed to Mary, only then did she put her trust in the Lord. We shouldn’t expect an angel to appear with
answers to our questions, but we can be sure that God will provide the answer
we seek. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it will be opened. These are not
empty promises. We just have to listen
with our hearts, as Mary and Elizabeth did. God answers us in many different
ways—through Scripture, through his creation, or through his messengers. And, His messengers are his friends—our
friends, our family, our associates and sometimes even a total stranger. God speaks to us through others, sometimes
unlikely others. The Angel, after all,
was an unlikely messenger and total stranger to Mary.
Even with Gabriel’s explanation,
however, Mary’s simple consent does not reflect a complete understanding on her
part. Rather, her consent expresses a
profound belief and trust in the Lord that things will work out for the
best. But, the courageous and trusting
Mary does not let things rest there. The
first thing she does after her encounter with the Angel is to visit
Elizabeth. It is as though she wants further
confirmation of how this revelation will unfold. Elizabeth provides that confirmation when she
tells Mary how the baby in her womb leapt for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice. Elizabeth completes the revelation about
God’s love and mercy when she says to Mary, “Blessed are you who believed that
what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Mary not only finds the assurance she wants in
her visit with Elizabeth, Mary in turn confirms the truth of her revelation for
the whole human race. For, her moving encounter
with Elizabeth inspires Mary to give voice to the great Magnificat. Through this prayer, Mary expresses her
praise and thanks to God for all the great things that he has done for her, his
lowly handmaid. She acknowledges and
calls attention to his mercy that is from age to age. Mary reveals that through her son Jesus, God
will put to shame the arrogant, lift up the lowly, and fill the hungry with good
things. She makes it clear that God has
done this out of love not only for his servant, Israel, but for all future
generations who will find reason enough to call her blessed for her role in
God’s plan. In this way, Mary shows that
she understood the heart and soul of the mission Jesus would undertake even
before he was born. Through the
Visitation, Mary becomes the first disciple of Jesus, the first evangelizer,
and the first Apostle in the truest sense. She is the first genuine witness to
the Word of God made flesh.
Mary’s witness shows that we too have good
reason to tell others about God’s love and mercy for us and about how the Lord
is working and abiding in our own lives. Our personal witness in this respect by
word and deed can offer others strength in their time of need, especially when
they see us relying on the Lord in our own time of need. This is an important legacy for our family
and friends. The Angel Gabriel revealed
to both Mary and Elizabeth how the Lord was going to work in their lives, and
they shared that news first with each other and then with others. We have a similar mission to share with
others the good news of God’s love and mercy for us.
Mary’s witness also shows us that we
do not need complete understanding in order to share that good news. Mary clearly did not get a complete picture
from her dialogue with the Angel or from her visit with Elizabeth. This gap in her understanding, however, did
not prevent Mary from accepting the Word of the Lord with courage and
trust. The Lord reciprocated her trust
with the gift of the Holy Spirit, who empowered Mary to carry out her role in
God’s plan to the fullest.
Likewise, we don’t have to have all
the answers before we go forward with trust in the Lord. For, we have the same assurance from Jesus
that the Holy Spirit will overshadow us, guide us in the way of truth, teach us
all things, and remain with us until the end of time. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we too may
well feel empowered and brave enough to take on the challenge before us,
whatever it may be, despite all the remaining gaps in our understanding. With the Holy Spirit on our side, we can be
sure that things will work out for the best.
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