As a school chaplain, I am no stranger to the question “What is your favourite Bible story?”.
My answer is today’s Gospel, The Visitation. Though a short account, it overflows in Advent values. It is a story of family, love and friendship – everything that we celebrate at Christmas.
Elizabeth is there for Mary. She encourages Mary with words of love and joy: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42) which must have given Mary hope for what was to come when she would return to Nazareth.
God acts and speaks through those whom He sends us. Elizabeth does not judge Mary, nor does she give Mary a lecture or a set of instructions on what to do. Instead she celebrates with Mary: “For the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:44).
Elizabeth does not stop here. She goes on to praise Mary for trusting and believing in what God had called her to do: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1: 45).
Trusting God, as Mary did, can be easier said than done. When things are going well, trusting God can be the easiest and most natural thing to do. However, during the more difficult and painful moments of our lives when we feel more alone, it can be hard to trust anything or anyone. As we come closer to Christmas, many people will be feeling the absence of loved ones more profoundly. Christmas can be wonderful time of family and celebration but it can also be challenging period for others, a time when an ‘Elizabeth” figure is most needed.
It is a blessing to have an “Elizabeth” in our lives. They are the people who share their wisdom with us. They encourage and support us during good and difficult times. Often when we thank them for their help, their response is a simple “I really didn’t do anything” but their very presence and the few words they’ve shared, which just happened to be the exact words we needed to hear at that moment, make all the difference in our lives. Elizabeth’s words to Mary remind us that we do not need to be anxious or to worry about what is to come, we just have to trust in the messages that God has given us, messages that are wrapped up in the gifts of hope, love, joy, and peace.
Image by Dorothée QUENNESSON from Pixabay
Victoria Byrne
