The Visitation

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” -Luke 1:42

 

For those of us who may have come later in life to understand the unique and powerful beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mere thought of her now brings us such excitement that we too want to run to the hill country to share that which is growing deep within us. The prophetic leaps within us! What better time to consider this than when the Church celebrates the end of the month of May; a month dedicated to Mary by considering her visitation to Elizabeth.

 

In this brief reflection I want to consider the movement of the Holy Spirit from the presence of Christ within us, which calls us to move outside of ourselves to share Christ with joy. So, the movement from presence to sharing in action and word.

 

Mary carries deep within herself the presence of Christ’s very self. He is in a process of gestation within her. Christ is alive in her. Christ is growing in her.

 

Christian spirituality requires one being attentive to the presence of God within us; the action that God is working out in us. This by natural extension has an impact on our exterior way of being. Therefore, a healthy exterior expression of Christian spirituality is the cultivation of a way of being consistent with the presence of Christ growing within us. This is the process of representing Christ; of re-presenting Christ. In some sense, we become living tabernacles of Christ. Christ dwells in us as we live and move and have our being.

 

This is the seat of our action and anything that we speak. Our actions and our words must be grounded in the presence of Christ in us. Let me use different words to explain this: Our mission is first and foremost grounded in Christ’s presence within us. We must “magnify the Lord” rather than magnify ourselves, “For he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.”

 

Mary was the first to bear Christ, but this is our calling too. To be bearers of Christ in a real way thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit.

 

The presence of Christ in Mary causes John the Baptist, in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth to leap with joy.

 

As the month of May ends, let us remind ourselves that devotion to Mary has a purpose. Its purpose is to cultivate the divine life that is growing in each of us. That’s our starting point for mission. The hill country we may run to could be modeling this presence of Christ in our families, our places of work or serving in a ministry of the church. The external possibilities are endless but they start by cultivating the divine life within ourselves. 

 

Each evening the Church prays the words we read in the Gospel today – the Magnificat. This evening, may I suggest re-reading this Gospel and be especially attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit throughout. Then, be attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit within yourself. May the prophetic within you leap with joy.