Feast of the Visitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Zep 3:14-18a ; Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6; Lk 1:39-56


Daily Gospel

Luke presents Mary as the Ark of the Covenant coming to Jerusalem to show that God is present among his people to bring them joy. This is why the child leaps (that is, dances for joy) in Elizabeth's womb. With Christ, God comes to live not in a temple of stone but in the hearts of people. Through Christ living in Mary God's victory over evil has begun. A person in whom Christ lives - a Christ-bearer, a Christopher - brings Christ to others, and with Christ, joy and love.

Lord our God, loving Father,
Mary went with haste to visit
her cousin Elizabeth in her hour of need.
May we too rejoice in the Lord
when we can hurry to see people
to bring them the Lord
as we to share in their needs and their joys.
With Mary, may we become
a blessing to them.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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.

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. (6) 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. (6) 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. (6) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

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.

Commentary

When the apostles number only eleven they choose another who is a witness to the resurrection. They pray and draw lots between two candidates, and Matthias is chosen to replace Judas. He completes the number twelve, though we know nothing else of him. Perhaps it is the process that is most instructive and crucial: It is God who reads the hearts of humans and makes known who is to be a leader. Who and how should our leaders be nominated? We should pray and choose by lot-what a difference there would be in who was chosen and how the Church moved in the world.

Again Jesus keeps telling us that everything is love-as the Father has loved him, he loves us! And if we obey his word/commands we will live in that love, now and forever and we will know the joy of Jesus who obeys. We are called to love unto death, call everyone beloved, treat all as friends because that is the love we have known from God.

In union with Mary, the mother of our Lord, let us pray together to God our Father and let us say: Lord, lift up your humble people.

- For as Church of the poor that seeks greatness in service to lead the whole person to God, we pray:

- For a heart that knows how to praise the Lord and to find its joy in God our Savior, we pray:

- For a lifestyle of humility and service, that the Lord may remember us in his kindness, we pray:

- For wisdom for the mighty of this earth, that they may respect the dignity of the poor and attend to the needs of the hungry, we pray:

- For trust in the prayers of the mother of the Lord, who cares for us with a mother's love, we pray:

Father, we offer you this prayer through Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and our mother.

Lord our God, loving Father,
through your Son Jesus Christ
you visit us in this eucharist.
Let it be a visit that changes us
as Jesus does great things in us
and fills us with his love and compassion.
May we sing out our gratitude
to praise your holy name
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord God, loving Father,
take all self-righteous pride out of our hearts
so that you can do great things in us.
Make us available to you
and to our neighbor,
especially to the poor and the humble.
Thank you for choosing us
as disciples of your Son Jesus Christ,
our brother and our Lord now and for ever.

"God be with you" was the greeting at the beginning and at the end of this eucharistic assembly. God has visited us again as his people. Let us go on loving him and taking him to those around us, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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