The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Romans 12:9-16; Luke 1:39-56)
Superiors of religious congregations make visitations to the
houses of their members. They check for
harmony by interviewing individuals. And
they assure faithfulness to the congregation’s principles by observing daily
routine. Although Mary is hardly mother
superior, she does visitate Elizabeth in today’s gospel. She wants to learn how things fare with her
elderly kinswoman pregnant for the first time..
Elizabeth certainly greets Mary as her better. She asks what gives her the honor of having such
a distinguished guest. Rather than act pretentiously,
however, Mary recognizes that she has done nothing to deserve her blessing. Any greatness she possesses is the work of God
on her behalf.
It can be said that nothing becomes a person like
recognizing the benefits that she has received from others. In our age of self-promotion, such modesty may
seem characteristic of a typical loser. But
this is only because many today take on the pretentions of self-importance. The first reading points out a more authentic
road to happiness. Like Mary, we should “not
be haughty but associate with the lowly.”
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