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:
Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. This dogma was defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1
1950. It states that the immaculate Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, after
completing her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.”
How does it feel to be visited by the Blessed
Mother? Nobody of us knows about it, however; in our gospel we read about the
reaction of her cousin 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 (Luke 1:39-42).
Elizabeth’s humility is very evident through her
acknowledgement of the presence of the Blessed Mother. Same as with Mary’s
humility through her acknowledgement of the Lord’s majesty and greatness.
What is the lesson for us here? The lesson is this:
God the Holy Spirit dwells within the humble. Mary and her cousin Elizabeth
lived and gave a human face to this humility. And through their humility the
Holy Spirit dwelt upon them.
Do you also want to feel the presence of God the
Holy Spirit in your life? - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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