Lk 1: 39-45
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
What Do You Need From the Lord?
What was Mary thinking as she hurried to visit Elizabeth in the hill country? No doubt the mysterious and shocking message of the angel Gabriel was consuming her thoughts. Was she nervous? Confused? Disturbed? Excited? What made her want to run to see Elizabeth and tell her?
Whatever Mary was feeling, what a moment it must have been when Elizabeth greeted her with such a knowing heart! She was able to instantly tell Mary that she was blessed, that Mary would be the mother of the Lord, that Mary had acted in faith, and that even Elizabeth’s unborn child was excited about it all, too.
This must have brought Mary so much comfort, so much joy. God really was doing something amazing in her life; she had not just dreamt it up.
What do you need the Lord to do for you this Christmas?
—Fr. Chris Kellerman, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and member of the Central and Southern Province. He serves as interim executive director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans and as assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, LA. In the Fall of 2022, Orbis Press will publish Chris’s new book on the history of the Catholic Church, slavery, and abolitionism.
Prayer
Lord, ease my anxieties, bring me joy, and strengthen my knowledge of your goodness and providence this Christmas. Please give me the gift of _________ . Amen.
—Fr. Chris Kellerman, SJ