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, “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.”
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked
with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me
blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has
mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of
his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the
mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the
hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to
the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the
promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Is selfless love still relevant today?
Selfless love is a rare virtue nowadays. What we often see is a me-first or self-centered attitude—love that is framed as self-care or self-love, as they say. Before we give ourselves to others, we make sure that we are first taken care of. Our needs come first before the needs of others. We seldom become a person for others anymore.
In doing so, we overlook the fact that when we are selfless, we give life, joy, and happiness to others. We bless them when we offer something of ourselves. And often, we fail to realize that the blessings we give silently return to us in many forms.
The Blessed Mother is not like many of us; she is deeply concerned with the welfare of others more than her own well-being. Notice how, even though she was pregnant at the time, she went to her cousin Elizabeth and stayed with her until she gave birth. She made sure her cousin would get through her delicate pregnancy before leaving her.
In this time when many of us are overly concerned with our own happiness, social media exposure, and personal fulfillment, the Blessed Mother gives us a valuable lesson to live by.
She teaches us not to be overly concerned with our own welfare. We must look after those who are in need of our love—even if we ourselves long to be loved. Who are those who badly need our love and care? The Blessed Mother and Elizabeth were both mothers, so for obvious reasons, first and foremost, it’s our mothers.
They are slowly growing old, and we may not notice it—but one day, they may quietly leave this world. Let us give our mothers our love while they can still appreciate it. What would it cost us to express our love for them? Nothing, except a small fraction of our money, our voice, and our time. And what will be the effect on them? Oh, immeasurable! It will energize and reinvigorate them, to say the least.
There are many who are in need of our love today. They may not say it, but they need it. We must look after them, even if we gain nothing material in return. Truth be told, life is never measured by the things we own. Life is measured by our selfless acts of love, care, and kindness.
On this Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us reflect on her very real and selfless expression of Agape love. And let us ask ourselves this question: Do I love as the Blessed Mother loves? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
