The visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (A feast)
Theme: Gratitude to God
Today the church celebrates the feast of the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. This celebration invites us as Christians to emulate our Mother Mary in our worship of the Divine. Her visit to her cousin Elizabeth teaches us a lot of things as children of God. In this her journey of faith, we see what it means for a Christian to be selfless. She was happy for her cousin Elizabeth, and decided to embark on this journey to share her joy with her. Mary forgot about herself and was eager to share this moment of joy with Elizabeth. This is a good example of the saying that we should celebrate with those who are celebrating. Her selflessness is worthy of emulation by you and I as Christians in our own time. If all of us as children of God resolve to begin to live a selfless life, we will make a lot of positive change in our world.
The visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth also shows us the kind of person our Mother Mary is; a woman of great humility. She was not carried away by the message of the Angel that she was going to be the Mother of Jesus, not minding how highly placed she will become. In humility, she was still herself and made the journey to go and celebrate with her cousin Elizabeth. The practice of the virtue of humility is what we all have to cultivate in our lives as children of God. The Word of God says that all those who humble themselves will be exalted. It is a wonderful virtue that we need in our lives and in the society in which we live. A humble person has nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
Her visitation also brought about blessing to both her cousin Elizabeth and the child that was in the womb. Let us learn to share our blessings with other people. That way we will continue to spread the blessings of God wherever we go and in the lives of all those who encounter us in our journey of faith.
Lastly, Mary appreciates the blessings of God in her song of praise in the Magnificat. Appreciating God for the wonderful thing God has done in her life, a lowly handmaid. Just like Mary, we must learn to be appreciative and show gratitude whenever we receive gifts from God or other people. Our lives as children of God must be that of thanksgiving at all times, by emulating Mary our Mother. Appreciation opens the flood gate of God’s blessings upon his people.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, let us pray for the grace to emulate her in her way of life. As we do this, may Almighty God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.