Two women, Two children, Two songs, One theme.
( Feast of Mary’s Visitation
to Elizabeth)
The younger woman is in a hurry, she has a
message and she can’t wait until it is shared and she ‘hastens’ over the Judean
hills. Her entry into the house of Zachariah is like the entry of the ark into
Jerusalem. The glory of Yahweh filled the ark. With the ‘greeting’ of Mary, the
new ark of the covenant, the house of Zachariah, is filled with the presence of
the Lord. Elizabeth declares Mary as “…
the mother of the Lord”, the first of a long list of titles that will be
given to Mary down the ages.
The house of Israel welcomed the ark with “shouting
and sound of trumpet” (2 Sam 6.15). Elizabeth welcomes the new ark of the
covenant, “exclaiming with a loud cry”( Lk1.42 ). David welcomed the ark
into Jerusalem with “ leaping and dancing” ( 2 Sam 6.16 ), the Prophet
sent to prepare a way for the Lord, welcomes the new ark of the covenant “leaping”
and dancing while still in his mother’s womb. The child destined to become the
prophet of the ‘Most High’, begins his ministry, starting with his mother,
while still in his mother’s womb. He proclaims to his mother the presence of
the ‘the Word’, not with voice yet but with his leaping and rejoicing.
The coming of the ark was a source of
blessing for the house of Obededom and
his household (2 Sam 6.12), now the house of Zachariah is blessed with the
presence of the new ark of the covenant and Elizabeth, lends her voice, to sing
double blessing that has come to her
house,“ Blessed are you among women”, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb”,
“Blessed are you who believed”. David expressed his unworthiness before the
ark saying, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me”( 2 Sam 6.9),
Elizabeth repeats almost the same words when she sees Mary, “ Who am I that
the mother of the Lord should come to me?” (Lk.1.43). The ark remained
three months with Obededom and his family ( 2 Sam 6.11), so also Mary remained
three months in the house of Zachariah. The Old Testament ark was only a symbol
of things to come, Mary makes it a reality. Mary is the ark of the covenant,
she is the effective sign of God’s presence among his people.
When
Elizabeth finishes her song of blessing, Mary begins her hymn of Praise, “The
Almighty has done great things for me. , and holy is his name”( Lk
1.49). Both have a song to sing. The lyrics are different but the theme is the
same. Both the children, still in their mother’s womb, listen. They will
remember both the songs and its theme and repeat them thirty years later.
Mary’s child would recall the words of Elizabeth and say, “
Blessed are those who listen to the Word of God and keep it” (LK 11.27).
It is the same blessedness that Elizabeth had sung thirty years ago. Mary is
the first of those who listened to the Word and kept it. The child of
Elizabeth, thirty years later, now grown strong and fearless, would remember
the greeting of Mary and ‘the Message’ she brought and point him out saying, “Look, here is the Lamb
of God” (Jn 1.36). One of those who listened to him was Andrew, who
in his turn, would go and share the message with his brother Peter, “We
have found the Messiah.”(Jn1.41). Peter, three years later, in his first
sermon after Pentecost, would proclaim the same message and “three thousand
people” listened to him and accepted the message (Acts 2.41).
And on and on…the Good News has
travelled, down the years, from person to person, from one generation to the
next. It all started with a simple the greeting of a woman. -Fr T.V. George sdb
