THE VISITATION
8 July Anno + Domini 2009 (Observed)
"Blessed Are You!â€
Luke 1:39-55
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Mary's visit to St. Elizabeth is full of drama. Both of them are unlikely candidates for pregnancy. One is barren and the other is a virgin. And yet both are pregnant, and pregnant with the two most important figures of all time: St. John the Baptist, whom Our Lord calls the greatest of those born of women, and Our Lord God, Jesus Christ. And already, in utero, while yet in the womb, these two cousins are communicating. The Lord is preaching to John, preparing him for his office. From inside his mother's womb, St. John hears the greeting of his Lord's mother to his own mother and leaps for joy. His mother, being full of the Holy Spirit, then prophesies: "Blessed is she who has believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
That is obviously true for St. Mary. She believed what the Lord told her through the angel Gabriel. Indeed, just as he said, she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and the only-begotten Son of the Father was conceived in her womb, without the aid of a man, and without violating her virginity. St. Mary gave birth to her own Savior and was blessed.
The prophecy given to Elizabeth concerning Mary is that she is blessed for believing that the Word of God is true. That is also true for us: Blessed are those who believe what God says, who trust God's Word. Blessed is he who believes that what the Lord has said to him will be accomplished. Of course, that is easier said than done.
But, consider what the Lord has said to you. He has said: "You are Mine. I gave you My Name when you were baptized into Me - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I claim you as My child and give you citizenship in My eternal Kingdom." He has said: "I forgive you all your sins on account of my Son who lived and died for you. Your sins are gone. I remember them no more." He has said: "Take, eat, this is My Body. Take, drink, this is My Blood shed for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. I am in you and you are in Me. I am with you always." He has said: "You are my precious little lamb, for whom I laid down My Life, and no one shall pluck you from My Hand." He has said: "You are my beloved child, perfect and without sin, spotless and blameless and the gates of Hell shall not overcome you."
Blessed are you who believe what the Lord says to you, for such faith will not be disappointed. You believe because the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary has impregnated you with faith by the Word spoken in your ears and applied with water to your heads. And, through the same Word which brought you to that faith, you are kept in the belief that gifts you with forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Nazareth and Bethlehem were backwater villages of no reputation, no strategic value, no abundance of natural resources. And yet, today there are scarcely any places so famous. So also Mary and Elizabeth. Nobodies. But God elevated them to great position. Leagues of girls bear their names. All generations of faithful Christians have called Mary blessed, and will continue to do so until the Lord she bore returns in great glory. So too, does God notice you. You are no less a nobody than Mary or Elizabeth. The God who is not far off, loves and knows you so intimately and personally that every hair on your head is counted. He notices you, is interested in you. He cares for you. His angels rejoice over your repentance and faith. His words of comfort and promise to you are not empty vanities or mindless flattery. They are words that are, and will be, fulfilled, as sure as the Virgin pure bore a Son.
Come, then, and be filled with the Word Incarnate by means of His very Body and Blood in the Holy Supper. This is the Food you need to sustain you in your journey through the wilderness of this sinful world. Receive it in repentance and faith, and depart in peace, singing the Magnificat with the Blessed Virgin, for it is most certainly true that the Lord has looked upon your humble estate and done great things for you. He has brought you from death to life and has in store for you eternal blessings that cannot even be fathomed by our futile human reason. Holy is His Name - Jesus, your Savior, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary to live, die, rise, ascend, and return in great glory for you! In Him you have life and have it to the full! Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.