“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.
To create an interesting novel with enough stories to make it worth reading, a novelist must amass a lot of stories and then tie them together with a common theme so that each remains integral to itself while illuminating the others. The Evangelists Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John collected many stories of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, preserving the authentic and reliable, and discarding nonsense. Then they tied them together with a gospel message of great joy.
Throughout the Roman empire, we may suppose that first century Jews knew of John the Baptist and were also hearing stories of Jesus of Nazareth. But in a world without newspapers or electronic media, how did the word get about, and what would people make of such stories? Like today's social media cacophony, everyone had an opinion but few opinions deserved a hearing. The Evangelists stepped into the vacuum and spoke with divine authority and a plausible, joyful narrative.
John and Jesus were both prophets with a large following, and both had been executed. Were they colleagues, partners, or rivals? Had God sent both prophets, and could both be trusted? What did their simultaneous appearance mean? Saint Mark resolved the issue by describing John as the forerunner of Jesus, the one who prepares the way. "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you." Matthew, Mark, and John followed Mark's pattern and scholars find only faint traces of a potential rivalry between the camps in the New Testament.
The storyteller Saint Luke went further by describing a meeting of their mothers, and their overwhelming joy at their sons' births. Mary and Elizabeth knew God's plan! Distantly related by kin, there could be nothing but admiration and respect between the prophets, and the Baptist would dance for joy like the best man at Jesus's -- the groom's -- appearance. In fact, he had danced in his mother's womb during their first encounter!
With all due respect to Luke's story of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem with its manger, swaddling clothes, shepherds and angels singing, Glory to God in the Highest, today's story of Mary's Visitation seems as grand, or perhaps more grand, an occasion. The angelic hymn is bested by Mary's Magnificat. And Elizabeth's exclamation set the pattern for centuries: "But who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?" Juan Diego, Bernadette Soubirous, and the children at Fatima might have said the same thing.
The occasion is pure joy, even with the discomfort of pregnancy, the danger of giving birth, and the boys' violent destiny. And, despite our graphic memories of John's beheading and Jesus's crucifixion, we share their gladness.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.