Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lectionary: 572

Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
do not be wise in your own estimation.

As a hospital chaplain I can bring a particular slant to this story. I will suppose, unlike most male commentators who have pondered this story throughout the centuries, that Elizabeth had a good support system of friends and family. The women of Jerusalem knew what to do for her and were ready to do it. Sweeping, dusting, cleaning, cooking, laundry: all these matters and more could be tended.

What Elizabeth could not have was the presence a Christian might bring. Mary was a sacred presence, filled with the Holy Spirit and alive with God’s action. Elizabeth especially needed her because, like the young virgin, she was pregnant by divine intervention. 

Society often tells people what emotions they should have and which emotions they should encourage. A young married woman, for example, should be happy she is pregnant. Everybody says so! An elderly woman, who has been regarded as barren, now suddenly pregnant, might be overjoyed. And her friends with her. Or not. She might be frightened, or confused, or blissfully, willfully ignorant of what is happening. How would her friends and neighbors deal with any of those situations?

I imagine Mary sitting with and listening to Elizabeth for long periods of time. She would have seen that the women of Jerusalem provided everything except a listening ear. Busy as they were with their families in the bustling city, unaccustomed to the situation of an old woman’s pregnancy, opinionated about the child's name, they left a vacuum for the Galilean girl to fill.

The two could share their astonishing secret – they were pregnant according to God’s plan. Given its extraordinary nature they must have continually resorted to prayer. They must have wondered, “Can this really be happening?” and assured each other it was so. They must have recounted the Angels visits to Zechariah and Mary repeatedly.

Mary rejoiced when Elizabeth rejoiced, and Elizabeth wept when Mary wept. They had the same regard for one another. Neither was “haughty” toward the other; and neither was wise in her own estimation. Both were humble and lowly, and grateful for the other's companionship.