A special visitor

Every year, on the fourth Sunday of Advent, we encounter Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Different parts of the story are recounted from one year to another.  This year, we meet Mary as she arrives at the home of Zachariah and Elizabeth; the moment of their initial meeting is described in the gospel of Saint Luke as a particularly joyous occasion, and this joy helps us to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christmas.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb (Lk 1:41).  In many parts of the Orient, when two people meet, they will bow to one another as a sign of greeting and respect for each other.  In some traditions, the belief is that the two persons who meet are recognizing the spirit that dwells within the person they are meeting.  Even before Mary and Elizabeth had exchanged any words, the child Elizabeth was carrying within her was aware that the Son of God was near, and with a leap, was alerting Elizabeth to the fact that this beloved relative of hers was indeed highly favoured.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry: ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb’ (Lk 1:42).  The scriptures speak of the angel’s conversation with Mary and so we know that Gabriel revealed to her the fact that her relative Elizabeth had ... conceived a son in her old age (cf Lk 1:36) but we are not told of any such apparition to Elizabeth, so it is possible that Elizabeth was unaware of Mary’s joyful news until the young girl arrived on the threshold of the older woman’s doorstep.  If this was indeed the case, the child leaping in Elizabeth’s womb and the words of greeting she offered are both signs that even before his birth, John the Baptist recognized the person of Jesus, and John’s joy was echoed in Elizabeth’s words.

During the three months that Mary stayed with Elizabeth (cf Lk 1:56), they had many occasions to spend time together.  Both these women would have been aware of the prophets and the words they had spoken.  It is quite possible that they pondered together the words that we heard in today’s first reading: from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel (Mi 5:1).  Along with their wondering about what the future would hold, both these women – the older one who had already lived her life, who had perhaps given up on the possibility of ever knowing the joy of having a child of her own, and the younger one who was only just setting out on life’s journey – would have pondered the wisdom of the prophet’s teaching.  What wonderful conversations they must have had.  I wonder if they both had moments of quiet reflection and prayer during which they were aware that they were in the presence of God, already participating in the miracle of bringing forth the one who would prepare the way and the one who would rule in Israel.

As we continue our preparations over the next few days for the celebration of Christmas, let us ask Mary and Elizabeth to share their joy with us.  Let us also humbly place ourselves in the presence of our God, as they did, simply saying: I have come to do your will (Heb 5:7).