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Gospel: Luke 1:39-47
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,
“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.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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This is the only Gospel where two women are found together… and they’re both pregnant. It’s what we celebrate today, “motherhood.”
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We’ve all had mothers. Some of us are mothers. We celebrate them because you cannot be a mother to yourself. You’re always a mother in relation to someone else, a child – offering life, protection, nourishment, and love.
Mary was the mother of Jesus. She was with him from the womb to the tomb.
Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist, who leapt in his mother’s womb at the sound of Mary’s voice.
Centuries later, Our Lady of Guadalupe becomes a mother to Juan Diego, appearing to him in his native Mexico over the course of 4 days in the year 1531.
During these appearances, Our Lady says to him, “Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection?”
The message of Mary’s maternal love converted 8 million natives in Mexico, and has converted countless others around the world since.
It’s why Our Lady of Guadalupe was featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine a few years ago, when they titled her, “Mary, the Most Powerful Woman in the World.”
She cares for all who call upon her name, offering each of us what she offered Saint Juan Diego – her maternal care and intercession.
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As we continue our Advent journeys, we turn to Mary in hope, asking her to pray on our behalf…
Hail Mary, full of grace…
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Image credits: (1) Knights of Columbus (2) Passionist Nuns (3) EWTN on X.com