31 May 2017
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
More on vocation: As soon as she said “Yes” to the Lord through his messenger, the Angel Gabriel, Mary “set out and traveled in haste”, to say “yes”, to be at the service of the lonely Elizabeth. The first gift she gave her was to pray with her to God, “who has looked with favor on his lowly servant.”
What does Mary teach us in this scene if not that her love for God is shown in fulfilling the ordinary day-to-day service of someone in need? Wouldn’t it have been more natural, more fitting for her to have remained where she was in deep prayer after the angel announced to her: “The Lord is with you”? Not at all! No Benedict Option for her!
“Blessed are you,” Mary, not because you are a virgin; not because you have been graced with mystic prayer; not because “at the moment of the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the enfant in my womb leapt for joy,” but because “you have believed,” you have faith. That faith anticipated the words of her son: “What you have done to the lest of my brothers you have done to me.”
This is one aspect of today’s feast we might reflect on today as we continue our reflections on personal vocation.