[Salvation]

FEAST OF THE DAY

The feast of the Visitation commemorates Mary's visit to her cousin
Elizabeth after the Annunciation and before the birth of St. John the
Baptist. This feast was established during the Middle Ages and was
celebrated by the Franciscan order before Pope Urban VI extended it
to the whole Church in 1389.

This feast is important for a variety of reasons. During this meeting of
Mary and Elizabeth, Mary proclaims the Magnificat, which is
repeated at every Evening Prayer, and Elizabeth proclaims one of
the lines we repeat in the Hail Mary. This feast also represents the
first meeting of St. John the Baptist and Jesus. The presence of the
Lord inspires John so much that he leaps with joy and Elizabeth is
filled with the Holy Spirit. This feast also provides an interesting
commentary on the importance of the unborn. Both John and Jesus
are unborn at this meeting, but both hold important roles in this
narrative and remind us that life is sacred even in its earliest stages.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

During those days Mary set out 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." -Lk 1:39-45


TODAY IN HISTORY

1821 The first Catholic cathedral in the United States, Cathedral of
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is dedicated in Baltimore


TODAY'S TIDBIT

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary are the Annunciation, the
Visitation, The Nativity, the Presentation and the Finding of Jesus in
the Temple.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray that all people may develop a greater respect for life,
especially for the unborn and the elderly.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Saturday, May 31, 2003 Meditation Luke 1:39-56 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary packed her things and hurried off to see her cousin, Elizabeth. She went to help Elizabeth prepare for the birth of her baby, and she probably wanted to ask her for advice in facing her own miraculous pregnancy. When Mary arrived, she greeted Elizabeth with the traditional embrace, but Elizabeth responded in a most non-traditional manner. The baby in her womb jumped, as if for joy, and Elizabeth proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42). Somehow, Elizabeth knew what had happened to Mary. Maybe she had heard through the grapevine, or through a letter from Mary herself. She may have even heard about Mary’s amazing encounter with the angel. But Elizabeth’s “knowledge” about Mary’s situation went beyond simply learning the facts. Luke tells us that when she saw Mary, Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and cried aloud these now-familiar words of blessing. Knowing about an event intellectually and knowing it by the power of the Holy Spirit are two different, but related things. This story shows how God longs to reveal himself and his plan to his people. Our ability to understand biblical truths and moral principles is one important gift from God, but this is only part of our heritage. We are also capable of receiving spiritual revelation and enlightenment from God about these truths and principles. St. Paul told the Corinthians that God wanted to reveal to them his secret wisdom, things that “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). He also prayed for the Ephesians that God would enlighten the eyes of their hearts so that they could perceive the inheritance that is theirs in Christ (Ephesians 1:18). Likewise, God wants to speak to us. He wants to tell us how much he loves us. He wants to reveal to us his glorious plan of salvation and our part in that plan. Let’s ask God to enlighten us today so that we might know him in our hearts and so that we might embrace his glorious plan more fully. “Come, Holy Spirit, and enlighten my heart today. Open Scripture for me. Show me the Father’s love. Fill my heart with your joy.”