VISITATION

Sometimes we feel like God is so far away because we do not see Him but today’s 1st reading tells us that it is like peering through the lattices. We don’t see God but by faith we see Him in the midst of the difficulties of life that seem to be like lattices. God invites us like a lover to His beloved. This is God’s relation to our souls. God’s love for us knows no boundaries. We may acquire for ourselves everything that the world offers but it can not satisfy the immortal soul. It is set on God and we are made to love God. There is this story of a father travelling across the water with his children. They were playing too close to the edge so their father warned them to stay away from the edge. The children ignored him and continued playing until they were knocked over to the side and fell in the water. As any loving father would do, he dived into the water and rescued them despite of their disobedience. This is what Christmas is all about. God dived into this world to save us in the midst of the disobedience. It was totally God’s initiative when a virgin conceived and Jesus became man. This is how great God’s love is for us and He waits for our love and response. Amen. Hallelujah!

Song of Songs 2:8-14
Hark! my lover — here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. 9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. 10 My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!...

Let us not lose hope and have faith in the Master Plan and Grand Design that God has for all of us. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
R: Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
...But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations...Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, 21 for in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust.


Today’s gospel shows us a number of wonderful things about God. In this scene of the Visitation we are made aware of Jesus acting here from the very start. This also calls our attention to the unborn children. He was barely a week old in Mary’s womb and John was only 6 months in Elizabeth’s womb. Mary takes Him to his first missionary work. Jesus is already pouring out grace and John received the grace as he leaped in her mother’s womb. Mary is the instrument in bringing Jesus to Elizabeth and John. We must realize this and not fear that she will distract us from being with Jesus. We should respond like Elizabeth and say something that we always say when we pray the rosary. No way should we think that it will get in the way rather it would lead us to praising God even more. The Son of God was still invisible at the time of the Visitation but the sound of Mary’s voice made it visible for Elizabeth. Pope John Paul II said that the Visitation and the Eucharist is related. Also St. Francis addressed Mary in this way, “Hail His tabernacle.” When Elizabeth said, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Mary also anticipated the mystery of the Incarnation. She has become the 1st tabernacle in history. The Son of God became man in Mary’s womb. God entered human history. Every time we receive Holy Communion we do not see God, He is hidden from our gaze but we can radiate God’s presence. We can do this by beating the heart of Mary and reliving the experience at the foot of the cross especially the part when He said, “Behold your mother.” We should recognize her divine motherhood. Mary carried Jesus with such devotion and love. We should relate Mary’s fiat with our amen as we receive the body and blood of Christ during Mass. The word became flesh within her and dwelt among us. In the Eucharist the flesh, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus come within us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 1:39-45
39 Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”