A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.”
In today’s Gospel, Mary visits Elizabeth, traveling in haste to Judah. Taking place immediately after the annunciation, the exchange between Mary and her cousin upon greeting each other reflects the action and presence of the Holy Spirit within them. Prompted by the Holy Spirit to cry out loudly, Elizabeth declares Mary’s blessedness. “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary’s response, her Magnificat, rejoices in God and gives glory to his holiness: “the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.” Mary continues praising God for fulfilling his promises of justice and mercy and goodness: “He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.”
God, help me comprehend what the Visitation means, in my life and in the life of the Church, for bringing all of your promises to fulfillment. Help me understand that through Jesus your Son, mercy itself dwelt among us. Through his birth, death, and resurrection, he continuously brings to all who believe in him the hope of the resurrection. Mary, the first disciple of Christ, held that hope within her from the moment Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Blessed are you who believed,” Elizabeth said to Mary, “that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Lord, help me recall throughout the day that the same Holy Spirit whose work Mary and Elizabeth rejoiced in continues to work this very day in my life and in the lives of those I encounter. Give me the grace to see your will for me as I call to mind the great things you have done for me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
**Announcement: Please join me in praying a novena to Saint Anthony from June 5 to June 13. I’ll return to daily Gospel reflections on June 14.**