Homily for May 31, 2017.
As we finally come the end
of the Month of May, our attention is drawn once again to the greatest woman
that ever lived as we celebrate the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
When the Angel Gabriel told
Mary that her kinswoman, Elizabeth, the one who people called barren was now in
her sixth month, Mary went with haste in the hill country to visit and stay
with Elizabeth for three months. This visit is what we celebrate today.
There are many reasons why
this visit is so significant:
One, it tells us the kind of
woman Mary is. As soon as she heard that Elizabeth was heavy with child, she
quickly ran to help her out. How often have you heard that people are sick and
refused to visit them? How often have you heard about your close relatives and
even your friends who are in trouble and just sat down to laugh about their
condition?
Two, this visit explains why
we are devoted to Mary. Mary forgot about herself, she forgot about her own
needs, she put herself in the shoes of an old woman having to go through the
pains of pregnancy and she went to help.
Now, if Mary is an expert in
putting herself in the shoes of others and helping them when in need, we
believe that if we ask for her intercession, she would gladly pray to God on
our behalf.
Thirdly, from this visit we
get to see the words of the Rosary. Anyone who wants to know why we pray, “Hail
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and
blessed is the fruit of your womb,” should read today’s Gospel passage from
Luke 1:39-56.
Fourthly, from this visit,
we learn that life begins from the womb and not on the day of birth. “For
behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb
leaped for Joy.”
In the visitation, John the
Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth gives a salute to Jesus Christ who at this time
is already flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Dear friends, the baby
in the womb is not a potential human being but a human being with potentials. If
John the Baptist salutes Jesus still in the womb, why do we kill our unborn
babies in the name of abortion?
Fifthly, from this visit, we
get to see the humility of Mary. In her Magnificat, Mary sang: “My soul
glorifies the Lord… for he has regarded the LOW ESTATE OF HIS HANDMAIDEN. For
behold all generations shall call be blessed, for he who is mighty has done
great things for me and holy is his name.”
C. S. Lewis would say:
“Humility is not a matter of thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of
yourself less.” In Mary’s Magnificat, we see a truly humble woman. She sang
praises to God fully acknowledging what God has done in her.
When we honour Mary, when we
venerate her statutes, when we ask for her intercession, it is God that we
worship. God alone receives the glory for whatever honour we give to Mary. We
respect Mary because God himself gave her that honour.
We call Mary blessed because
she herself prophesied about it and the bible recorded it. She never stopped
seeing herself as a lowly handmaid but at the same time, she knew who she had
become to God.
Finally, in the visitation,
we see how God works. To shame the strong, God chooses the weak. “He has
brought down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he
has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.”
Dear friends, as we conclude
our May Devotion today, let this day not pass you by without saying the rosary
and I pray that just as Mary visited Elizabeth who was in need of a helper,
Mary would visit you and become your helper today.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, may your Mother pray for me. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of the Visitation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Bible Study: Zephaniah 3:14-18
and Luke 1:39-56).
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