Mary visits Elizabeth

Today Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (1: 39-45) which tells of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth.

Today we hear Mary journeying to Elizabeth’s house and as Mary makes this journey, we need to be aware of just how real an act of kindness that this is. Mary, being pregnant herself, would have her own priorities for the birth of her own child but we see how she responds to the needs of her older relative, Elizabeth.

There is a theme that continues, again and again, in the bible and it is the theme of God’s care for the poor, God’s care for the simple, God’s care for those in need; It is such acts of care that set the Christian tradition apart from the ways for the world. This act of care of Mary is a reminder to us of that message and of God’s own example to us.

Today we celebrate two Mum-to-be’s coming together, and like we did the other day with our Dads, we might reflect and pray for all our Mums, as we prepare for the birth of Jesus. We might pray that the blessings of almighty God be on all our Mums, those here with us, and those that have gone before us.