The Visitation
Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth
"Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth." Immediately after Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that she is to be the mother of God's son, she asks the question "How can this be? I am a virgin." The angel tell her to go to her cousin, Elizabeth, as she is with child.
"In the sixth month" ties Mary's story to that of Elizabeth, for whom "this is the sixth month" of pregnancy with the baby who will be known as John the Baptist. John will be born six months before Jesus, and will be the forerunner of Jesus –– the one who prepares the way for Jesus by calling Israel to repentance and baptism. The angel Gabriel is the same angel who announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah, Elizabeth's husband –– another connection between the two stories.
The irony is that Zechariah, who asked for a sign, was punished, while Mary, who does not ask for a sign, gets one. If she wants to know whether God can make it possible for her to bear a son, she need only to look to her kinswoman Elizabeth's swelling belly for confirmation. If God can spark new life in old woman, God can surely do the same in a young virgin.
Luke’s account of the Visitation gives us an indication as to who exactly, the child of Mary is destined to become. The Gospel author Luke does not editorialize. Rather he recounts the experience of Elizabeth so that we can understand how Elizabeth perceives her encounter with Mary, who is with child.
In the presence of Mary, Elizabeth’s baby leaps for joy. Elizabeth calls Mary “blessed” and her unborn son “Lord.” We infer that Elizabeth understands the child of Mary may be destined to be the Messiah. And Luke makes it especially clear that Elizabeth infers this on her own, with no help from Mary.
Is the child of Mary destined to be the Messiah? At this point in Luke’s Gospel, Elizabeth’s faith experience leads us to that possibility – a possibility that can only be confirmed as the ministry of Jesus unfolds. Elizabeth’s prophetic testimony about Jesus and Mary is, indeed, a testimony of faith. As the passage states, she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
"Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth." Immediately after Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that she is to be the mother of God's son, she asks the question "How can this be? I am a virgin." The angel tell her to go to her cousin, Elizabeth, as she is with child.
"In the sixth month" ties Mary's story to that of Elizabeth, for whom "this is the sixth month" of pregnancy with the baby who will be known as John the Baptist. John will be born six months before Jesus, and will be the forerunner of Jesus –– the one who prepares the way for Jesus by calling Israel to repentance and baptism. The angel Gabriel is the same angel who announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah, Elizabeth's husband –– another connection between the two stories.
The irony is that Zechariah, who asked for a sign, was punished, while Mary, who does not ask for a sign, gets one. If she wants to know whether God can make it possible for her to bear a son, she need only to look to her kinswoman Elizabeth's swelling belly for confirmation. If God can spark new life in old woman, God can surely do the same in a young virgin.
Luke’s account of the Visitation gives us an indication as to who exactly, the child of Mary is destined to become. The Gospel author Luke does not editorialize. Rather he recounts the experience of Elizabeth so that we can understand how Elizabeth perceives her encounter with Mary, who is with child.
In the presence of Mary, Elizabeth’s baby leaps for joy. Elizabeth calls Mary “blessed” and her unborn son “Lord.” We infer that Elizabeth understands the child of Mary may be destined to be the Messiah. And Luke makes it especially clear that Elizabeth infers this on her own, with no help from Mary.
Is the child of Mary destined to be the Messiah? At this point in Luke’s Gospel, Elizabeth’s faith experience leads us to that possibility – a possibility that can only be confirmed as the ministry of Jesus unfolds. Elizabeth’s prophetic testimony about Jesus and Mary is, indeed, a testimony of faith. As the passage states, she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
