The Mother of My Lord.

Homily for December 21, 2017.

“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’” Luke 1:41-42 

As we continue to examine persons who were powerfully instrumental in the story of Jesus, our searchlight today beams on a woman about whom not much is spoken, yet without whom, our Christian Faith is incomplete. Her name is Elizabeth.

Our first reading today is from the Song of Songs and from a passage that talks about the beloved leaping upon the mountains like a gazelle, the beloved whose voice is so sweet and so much appreciated by the loved.

When we juxtapose this reading with our Gospel passage, we see Mary (the gazelle), going with haste to the hill country (leaping upon the mountains) to the house of Zechariah. We also see how the voice of Mary’s greeting made the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leap for joy, as the lover leaps for joy at the voice of the beloved.

Now, let us examine this great woman, Elizabeth. Here she is, pregnant in her old age hiding herself from people lest they begin to run their mouth asking questions how she managed to conceive at that age. Mary, a young woman comes all the way to visit her, and as soon as she hears Mary’s greeting, she opens her mouth and utters words that would define the Christian religion for ages to come.

First, who told Elizabeth that Mary was pregnant? Notice, it was from Elizabeth’s mouth that we get to hear about Mary’s pregnancy. The Angel Gabriel only told Mary she would conceive by the Holy Spirit. We are not told when that conception took place but she comes to Elizabeth and the next thing we hear is: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Luke 1:42.

Elizabeth introduces Mary to the world as the woman who is blessed among all women. Elizabeth (and of course, Angel Gabriel) gave us the words of the prayers of the Rosary, that is, the “Hail Mary…”

Elizabeth did not stop at that, she added: “And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:43. This verse is a very strong one. It is deep! Check your Bible to be sure that this verse is there. Let us pause for a while to dwell on this verse. Wait, do you realize that the whole of our Catholic devotion to Mary rests this particular verse of the Bible? It is from the lips of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist that we first get to hear Mary addressed as the MOTHER OF MY LORD which means basically MOTHER OF GOD.

It doesn’t end there, Elizabeth added: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45. Dear friends, Elizabeth was the not only the first person to pray the Rosary, she was also the first person to give Mary her due honour as a woman whose faith deserves to be praised.

But by the way, how did Elizabeth manage to say these things? Was she a theologian? Was she even there when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary? Who told her about Mary’s pregnancy? The answer lies in Luke 1:41. We are told, she was FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

When we have the Holy Spirit in us, we are no longer our ordinary selves. Even our utterances no longer come from our heads but from God. Elizabeth was not a priest neither was she a scholar but by the Holy Spirit, she became a Dogmatic Theologian; she defined the doctrine of Mary as the Mother of God, and she began actively the devotion to Mary!

The life of Elizabeth teaches us to always be open to the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we should always pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. With God, we can do all things.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, may the Holy Spirit overshadow me now and always. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 3^rd Week of Advent. Bible Study: Songs 2:8-14 and Luke 1:39-45).