VISITATION OF OUR MOTHER - 05/31/22 (The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Luke 1:41-43,46-47,56

41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings/2022-05-31

Blessed Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Today, we commemorate the event when Mary visited St. Elizabeth shortly after the Annunciation. St. Elizabeth called Mary as the Mother of God. Elizabeth was the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it's interesting to note the change of their relationship when Mary was chosen to be the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is not just our Savior, but He is also our spiritual Brother. This means that Mary is also our spiritual Mother whom God gives to us. 

This means that part of God's mystery is that the Blessed Virgin Mary visited St. Elizabeth, not just as her biological cousin but also as her spiritual mother. A mother always takes care of the needs of her children and desires what will bring happiness to them. St. Elizabeth saw her unworthiness of being visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary which was the reason why she asked in humility as to why this blessing was granted to her. But, it's precisely because of our unworthiness, weaknesses and sinfulness that our Mother Mary wants to come to our aid. Because of the greeting of Mary, St. John the Baptist leaped out of joy, and St. Elizabeth was filled by the Holy Spirit. In the same way, it is through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary that we will be filled by the Holy Spirit and experience true joy in serving God. 

The Blessed Virgin Mary, like Jesus, came to serve and not to be served. She was serving St. Elizabeth and remained with her for three months before she came back to her home. And yet, we have greater privileges than that of St. Elizabeth. The truth is that the Blessed Virgin Mary wants to come to our homes, to our lives, and help us, not just for days or months but throughout our whole lives. For three months, Mary and St. Elizabeth were engaging in conversations. But, we have the opportunity to always converse and speak to our Mother. In our culture today when many people no longer have many moments of prayers, God is reminding us to always seek the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary by always having recourse to her during many moments of our lives. 

The prayers of our Mother Mary in heaven is her way of serving God and serving us. She loves us despite our sinfulness and unworthiness. Let's always choose to persevere in praying the rosary every day. In this prayer, we are granted the opportunity to honor Jesus and Mary with the same words that St. Elizabeth used to honor them. At the same time, we should not forget to pray through the intercession of Mary, especially when we are experiencing many temptations. The true sign of humility is seen when we depend on the graces from God and the prayers of our Mother. Since the Blessed Virgin Mary wants to be part of our lives, may we be reminded of her presence by praying the "Hail Mary" prayer or other prayers to her before we do our work, studies, or other important activities. Through this, our hearts become open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and we join our Mother in proclaiming the greatness of God. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic