In Fr Paul’s absence Anne O’Brien, our Director of Mission, will present this week’s reflections and today reads from the Gospel of Luke (1: 39-56) in which Mary visits her pregnant cousin Elizabeth.On this feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Mary Virgin, Anne says, like Mary, she prays ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and that my spirit rejoices in God my saviour, for he has looked with favour on me’, once again as Mary felt, the lowliness of his servant. For Anne, the visitation is such an exciting story to tell and a beautiful experience to share. She says, like Mary and Elizabeth and the child in her womb, she is filled with the Holy Spirit and her heart is full of joy as she reads this story. She says: I praise the Lord for all his goodness, for the gift of life, love and joy! Anne is sure we can all think of times when, like Elizabeth and Mary, we celebrate these gifts with family and friends – the gift of life, love and joy! Offering a personal prayer Anne prays ‘that I may extend the blessing to all I encounter today, and in so doing, they will know that the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ lives in me. I thank God for this blessing’. In closing, Anne invites us to prayer too: Father,In choosing a humble young woman from Nazareth you raised up the lowly.May Mary’s prayers for us and our devotion and love for her help us to live the life of the new creation given to us by her Son. Through Christ, our Lord,Amen.