among women; and blessed is the fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting
sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”
Lectio Divina
READ: Upon hearing that her cousin Elizabeth is with child, Mary made haste to
visit and assist her in Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Their encounter was joyful, the baby
in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy because the mother of his Lord visits them.
REFLECT: What set extraordinary men and women apart from ordinary humans
are their capacity to listen and believe. Most of us can hear except those with
hearing defects. But very few truly know how to listen. In here, we don’t even
need to hear sounds. It is the quality of the heart ever attentive to what is said that
matters than auditory capacity. And in today’s gospel, we have two extraordinary
women. Both are blessed by God. Both are fruitfully pregnant by the power of
God. One is a girl child of perhaps not more than fourteen years old. The other
is a woman impossible to have a child according to human standards. When
they meet, the blessings they bore in their womb become a source of joy and
thanksgiving to a God who is gracious to them. Elizabeth articulates the reason
why Mary is blessed among women and more blessed than she is. She listened
and believed.
RESPOND: When was the last time you visited somebody close to you and the
occasion of that visit becomes a joy to everyone? Perhaps today is a good day
to plan a visit to those whom you have not seen for a long time. May you bring
blessings and joy to everyone you meet along the way.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021