Tuesday May 31, 2022

Visitation of Mary, Feast                   

 

Introduction

Luke presents Mary as the Ark of the Covenant coming to Jerusalem to show that God is present among his people to bring them joy. This is why the child leaps (that is, dances for joy) in Elizabeth’s womb. With Christ, God comes to live not in a temple of stone but in the hearts of people. Through Christ living in Mary God’s victory over evil has begun. A person in whom Christ lives – a Christ-bearer, a Christopher – brings Christ to others, and with Christ, joy and love.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, loving Father,
Mary went with haste to visit
her cousin Elizabeth in her hour of need.
May we too rejoice in the Lord
when we can hurry to see people
to bring them the Lord
as we to share in their needs and their joys.
With Mary, may we become
a blessing to them.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 

1 Reading : Zep 3:14-18

Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, Israel!
Rejoice and triumph with all your heart,
Daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You will no longer fear disaster.
 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
 The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will rejoice over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
 I will gather those who are worried about the appointed feasts—
They came from you, Zion;
The disgrace of exile is a burden on them.

 

or Rom 12:9-16

Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;  rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,  contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

 

Gospel : Lk 1:39-56

Now at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,  and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?  For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song: The Magnificat

 And Mary said:

“My soul exalts the Lord,
 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
 For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name. And His mercy is to generation [g]after generation
Toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty-handed. He has given help to His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy, Just as He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

 Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

 

Intentions

In union with Mary, the mother of our Lord, let us pray together to God our Father and let us say: Lord, lift up your humble people.

–          For as Church of the poor that seeks greatness in service to lead the whole person to God, we pray:

–          For a heart that knows how to praise the Lord and to find its joy in God our Savior, we pray:

–          For a lifestyle of humility and service, that the Lord may remember us in his kindness, we pray:

–          For wisdom for the mighty of this earth, that they may respect the dignity of the poor and attend to the needs of the hungry, we pray:

–          For trust in the prayers of the mother of the Lord, who cares for us with a mother’s love, we pray:

Father, we offer you this prayer through Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and our mother.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, loving Father,
through your Son Jesus Christ
you visit us in this eucharist.
Let it be a visit that changes us
as Jesus does great things in us
and fills us with his love and compassion.
May we sing out our gratitude
to praise your holy name
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord God, loving Father,
take all self-righteous pride out of our hearts
so that you can do great things in us.
Make us available to you
and to our neighbor,
especially to the poor and the humble.
Thank you for choosing us
as disciples of your Son Jesus Christ,
our brother and our Lord now and for ever.

 

Blessing

 “God be with you” was the greeting at the beginning and at the end of this eucharistic assembly. God has visited us again as his people. Let us go on loving him and taking him to those around us, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Mary’s Dance

Why did Mary visit Elizabeth after receiving the annunciation? The popular and pietistic answer is, to help her cousin who had conceived in her old age. Really? If so, wasn’t it cruel of Mary to abandon Elizabeth and return home when Elizabeth was in her ninth month and about to give birth? So, why did she go? When one receives an exceedingly incomprehensible experience, it is only human to seek out the company of someone who has had a similar experience: to confide in, to open up one’s heart, to confirm, and when it all sinks in, to celebrate! The moment Mary saw the six-month pregnant cousin, she knew her own experience to be true! At that moment, she could only break into a song and dance (Magnificat)! The Visitation is all about two hearts celebrating God’s amazing break-in to their lives! Let’s not reduce it to just a domestic help. (Of course, being a nice girl, Mary would have helped her cousin while she was there. But that’s a pretty ordinary detail.)

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF