Commentary on the Gospel of
Comfort to the distressed
The month of May began with the Feast of St. Joseph and today, ends with the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today, the Church celebrates the Visitation of the Mother of God to the house of Zachariah and Elizabeth, placing herself at the service of Elizabeth.
Luke presents Mary as the ‘Tabernacle of the Holy God’: She is carrying – God the Son in her womb. When Mary greets Elizabeth, she is filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth cries out in surprise, "How is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" This confirmed for Mary the message of the Angel at the time of the Annunciation.
Elizabeth gives a perfect example of instilling the distressed with appreciation and encouragement. She had all the reasons to admonish this unwed, pregnant teenager. But, she does something different. When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she can only appreciate, encourage, love and accept. How often do our words and actions bring sleeplessness and anxiety to people around us?
Mary and Elizabeth are ordinary people like any of us. But these ordinary women show us a path to follow, which we too can walk if we ask for it every day and if we pray for it with faith.
