A Reflection on the Feast of the Visitation
The story of this visit by one cousin to another is one of joy and more than a little apprehension. Lest we forget, both Mary and Elizabeth had found themselves in unfamiliar territory. Both had a right to be unsure, confused and even afraid. But both were bolstered by the thought that they had the support of one another, and it was the presence of God in their lives that would guide and support them, no matter the outcome.
It’s in that spirit that we read from the book of the prophet Zephaniah, and one verse in particular could give them the hope that would sustain their lives. “On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not O Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior….” [Zephaniah 3: 17]. Then comes the gospel passage from Luke 1: 39-56, which recounts the proclamation of faith by Mary to the angel who had brought her both glad and puzzling news. “The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Hers are powerful words that have echoed through the centuries, and we repeat them every day at morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Lest we forget, Mary said this line long before she knew the details of what would happen to her. She knew little of what being the Mother of God would involve. She and Joseph had yet to search for her son as he spoke to the elders in the temple. She could only imagine what letting go of such a child would involve. And certainly she had no idea of the pain she would experience as she stood at the foot of the cross as her son’s life slipped away. And as for Elizabeth, how could she have known that her son would be beheaded? But in the cases of Mary and Elizabeth, this was not the end of their stories.
Part of being Catholic Christians involves our personal obligation to do for others what we would do for Jesus. Because of that our ministry can’t have an exclusive focus on attending splendid liturgies and processions and the like. There is work to be done, and there will be testing of our vocation. We should not be at all surprised that there will be moments of pain and exhaustion as we transform our hands into the hands of Christ.
And yet we count all this as privilege — a privilege that requires intense self-awareness. It requires that we own the notion that service to others along the way of our own pilgrimage is what ultimately gives us life.
”Behold the Lord has done great things for me.” That is the central message of Mary’s prayer, but it should be our prayer as well. The “me” in that phrase is certainly Mary’s prayer. But the me is our prayer as well. It is an essential part of being on pilgrimage with the Lord. And in that spirit I like to add to these words my own words of encouragement: “May the Lord who has begun such work in me bring it to fulfillment. Amen.”
NOTES
+On May 28th I flew to Philadelphia, where I took part in a five-day retreat for members of the Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes of the Order of Malta. I had attended this retreat several times, but this time was different. For nearly twenty years I had been a member of the Order of Malta in the Western Association and the Subpriory of Our Lady of Philermo. But as a resident of Minnesota I have lived in the geographical boundaries of the American Association. In its February meeting the Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta rectified that and transferred me to membership in the East Coast groups. So this time around I participated in this retreat — not as a guest, but as a member.
+Today, June 3rd, we monks of Saint John’s Abbey begin our annual five-day retreat.
+Today’s post is an adaptation of the sermon that I gave to members of the Order of Malta on the feast of the Visitation, on 31 May. The images in today’s post show scenes from the life of Mary, as depicted in a 14th-century Spanish retable, housed in the Art Institute in Chicago.
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