The
Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth is another development in the revelation
that really 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 also has important implications for us today.
For one, this revelation shows
that 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 yes, but how. 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 human 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 her with news about her cousin Elizabeth having conceived a
son in her barren years, 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.” Only then does Mary say yes to
the Lord.
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 probably 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 both 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. The Angel, after all, was a total stranger to Mary and an unlikely
messenger. God speaks to us through others, sometimes unlikely others.
Even with Gabriel’s explanation,
however, Mary’s simple consent does not stem from a complete understanding on
her part. Rather, her consent expresses her
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. Moved by the Holy Spirit, 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 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.
For, God not only invites; he enables us to respond with a confident yes.
