Galatea
05-31-2004, 02:48 AM
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Reading I
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/zephaniah/zephaniah3.htm#v14
Zep 3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.
Rom 12:9-16 (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/romans/romans12.htmv9)
Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.
Responsorial Psalm
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/isaiah/isaiah12.htm#v2
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
R (6) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Gospel
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke1.htm#v39
Lk 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
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.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 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."
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Homily Reflections
God does unexpected and wonderful things! In this simple, but rich passage we see two humble women who unexpectedly become the vehicles for God’s greatest work---the redemption of the world. First we have Elisabeth, who as an older childless woman discovers she is to have a child who will be a forerunner of the promised Messiah. Then we have Mary, cousin of Elisabeth, who as an unmarried girl, is visited by an angel who announces that she will give birth to the savior of the world. These are very unexpected circumstances and very unlikely figures to play in God’s redemptive plan. Mary is compelled to visit Elisabeth and as they meet, Elisabeth’s baby stirs in the womb, in anticipation of his connection with the coming Messiah. The joy in the room was palpable as Mary and Elisabeth rejoice in how God was working through them. Mary breaks into song, reflecting the song of Hannah at the unexpected birth of her child Samuel so many years before. This song has become one of the church’s greatest hymns known as the Magnificat and declares the greatest of God’s love and mercy toward His people. She is essentially saying “I’m bursting with God-news---I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.”
We wonder what made Mary and Elisabeth candidates for God working in such great ways through them. It has to be simply an openness to God’s involvement in their lives. They knew of God’s promises and they lived in anticipation of the fulfillment of what He said He would do. Because of their belief, God was able to use them in such unexpected and great ways. Blessed is belief because there are no limits to what God may bring to pass.
Faith is our act in that it begins with the turning of a heart desirously toward God. It is the quiet surrender of the self to the spirit of God which then takes hold and brings to fulfillment in us the faith which is His gift and which opens the way for all His continued giving.
The journey with God on which they were commencing had no guarantees. In the midst of their great joy and anticipation, they also had a foretaste of the grief that was in store for them and their yet unborn sons. Yet they were willing to be a part of God’s story and saw themselves as blessed because God was working through them. That is what faith is all about---an openness to God working in our lives, anticipation of the unexpected things He will work within us, and trust that we will be blessed on this journey we are called to travel with God. How open are we to the unexpected and wonderful things God will work through us?
Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus in your life? Blessed are you if you see and recognize the Lord with the "eyes of faith". The word "blessed" [makarios in Greek] literally means "happiness" or "beatitude". It describes a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable, self-contained, and independent from chance and changing circumstances of life. There is a certain paradox for those "blessed" by the Lord. Mary was given the "blessedness" of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of Canterberry (1033-1109), spoke these words in a homily: "Without God's Son nothing could exist; without Mary's son, nothing could be redeemed." To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith and trust?
What is the significance of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus? When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary's womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God's promise to give a Savior. What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Do you live in the joy and knowledge of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit? "Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more closely. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the joys of heaven, and my love for You as my All."
Reading I
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/zephaniah/zephaniah3.htm#v14
Zep 3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.
Rom 12:9-16 (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/romans/romans12.htmv9)
Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.
Responsorial Psalm
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/isaiah/isaiah12.htm#v2
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
R (6) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Gospel
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke1.htm#v39
Lk 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
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.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 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."
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Homily Reflections
God does unexpected and wonderful things! In this simple, but rich passage we see two humble women who unexpectedly become the vehicles for God’s greatest work---the redemption of the world. First we have Elisabeth, who as an older childless woman discovers she is to have a child who will be a forerunner of the promised Messiah. Then we have Mary, cousin of Elisabeth, who as an unmarried girl, is visited by an angel who announces that she will give birth to the savior of the world. These are very unexpected circumstances and very unlikely figures to play in God’s redemptive plan. Mary is compelled to visit Elisabeth and as they meet, Elisabeth’s baby stirs in the womb, in anticipation of his connection with the coming Messiah. The joy in the room was palpable as Mary and Elisabeth rejoice in how God was working through them. Mary breaks into song, reflecting the song of Hannah at the unexpected birth of her child Samuel so many years before. This song has become one of the church’s greatest hymns known as the Magnificat and declares the greatest of God’s love and mercy toward His people. She is essentially saying “I’m bursting with God-news---I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.”
We wonder what made Mary and Elisabeth candidates for God working in such great ways through them. It has to be simply an openness to God’s involvement in their lives. They knew of God’s promises and they lived in anticipation of the fulfillment of what He said He would do. Because of their belief, God was able to use them in such unexpected and great ways. Blessed is belief because there are no limits to what God may bring to pass.
Faith is our act in that it begins with the turning of a heart desirously toward God. It is the quiet surrender of the self to the spirit of God which then takes hold and brings to fulfillment in us the faith which is His gift and which opens the way for all His continued giving.
The journey with God on which they were commencing had no guarantees. In the midst of their great joy and anticipation, they also had a foretaste of the grief that was in store for them and their yet unborn sons. Yet they were willing to be a part of God’s story and saw themselves as blessed because God was working through them. That is what faith is all about---an openness to God working in our lives, anticipation of the unexpected things He will work within us, and trust that we will be blessed on this journey we are called to travel with God. How open are we to the unexpected and wonderful things God will work through us?
Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus in your life? Blessed are you if you see and recognize the Lord with the "eyes of faith". The word "blessed" [makarios in Greek] literally means "happiness" or "beatitude". It describes a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable, self-contained, and independent from chance and changing circumstances of life. There is a certain paradox for those "blessed" by the Lord. Mary was given the "blessedness" of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of Canterberry (1033-1109), spoke these words in a homily: "Without God's Son nothing could exist; without Mary's son, nothing could be redeemed." To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith and trust?
What is the significance of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus? When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary's womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God's promise to give a Savior. What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Do you live in the joy and knowledge of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit? "Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more closely. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the joys of heaven, and my love for You as my All."