THURSDAY, DEC 21
Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out in those days
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.”
Grace: I ask for the grace to know Jesus in a deeper way that I may abundantly love and follow him.
“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.’”(v.41-2)
Let us consider this remarkable meeting: the two women, pregnant with hope, embrace. As their bellies touch, the infants within quicken again with the divine spark of the Holy Spirit. One, Jesus, was conceived by the Holy Spirit; the other, John, filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15). It was a precious and delicate time for the two women.
Imagine now these two women meeting in your home. Disregard, for a moment, the time (2000 years ago) and the place (Israel) and picture the two pregnant moms-to-be meeting today in your living room. They hug and twirl around, freely dancing arm in arm. They stop and tenderly touch each other’s ‘baby-bump’ and turn breathless in a moment. Then they burst out giggling with joy and dance again! Can you hear the laughter?
For Reflection and Prayer:
You join in the group hug with the two women. What feelings arise in you? Joy? Fear? Bewilderment? Awe?
See yourself as Zechariah when your wife Elizabeth receives her kinswoman Mary. You are mute – speechless (Luke 1:20). How do you welcome Mary?
Use this silence to prayerfully engage in the experience – of Mary, of Elizabeth, of Zechariah. How do you respond?
The Contributor:
Jan Davis, D.Min., spiritual director has wide experience in leading retreats and parish missions. Jan leads Ignatian Silent Retreats and is a regular presenter in the OST Ignatian Twilight Retreats. Jan also leads other silent and participatory retreats, most recently, “Praying with Icons.”
Learn more about Magis Ignatian Spirituality Programs
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.