“The Lord is coming!”
Luke 1:39-47
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
After the annunciation, Mary left immediately to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. She was probably was a little apprehensive and excited with anticipation with all that the angel had told her. She knew something miraculous had happened also to Elizabeth, so she felt comfortable sharing with her what was going on in her own life. She also wanted to help out her cousin with the birth of her miraculous baby and being in her sixth month needed to hurry so she was not late. Have you ever been so excited to share some news with someone, you leave immediately to find them. It was a little different back then since they did not have phones or social media to announce the Good News that had been delivered to Mary, but she did the only thing she could and went left immediately.
When Elizabeth first saw Mary coming, instead of Elizabeth celebrating her own pregnancy, filled with the Holy Spirit she asks her, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” In saying those words, she admitted to Mary that she was carrying the God Incarnate, my Lord. It is also reminiscent of when the Ark of the Covenant entered Jerusalem years before. At that time, King David was so excited to be in the presence of the Lord, he leaped and danced in the streets in the presence of the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14-15). Here through Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant is brought back to Jerusalem and a babe leaps inside his mother’s womb in the presence of our Lord.
We too are offered the opportunity to be in the presence of our Lord through the Liturgy of the Eucharist at every Mass, in Eucharistic adoration and in the Tabernacle in your Church’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel. You don’t have to leap before the Lord like King David or John, but you could if the Spirit moves you to.
Pray:
My Lord, thank you for coming near to me, first as a newborn baby and now in the Holy Eucharist. Please continue to pull me closer to your Sacred Heart and allow my spirit to leap with joy before you alone. I ask this in your Holy Name. Amen.