Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
May 31, 2021
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,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
Reflection
In today’s gospel, Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus, “set[s] out… in haste” to visit Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. This is the central movement of the feast of the Visitation and a moving image for us, a pandemic weary people who yearn to embrace faraway loved ones once again.
I have not seen my brother since December of 2019. In November of 2020, he and his wife welcomed their first child, Lucy. They asked me to be the godfather to this beautiful ray of light who came to us in a dark and difficult time, knowing that I would not be able to visit them for many months to come. My brother and I have traded cell phone pictures of our children almost daily since then, and Lucy recently rolled over for the first time while we were talking on the phone together. But we know that there is no substitute for holding a baby in our arms. In the coming weeks, I’ll board a plane to California to visit my brother and stand as godfather at Lucy’s baptism.
Through the course of this pandemic, we have chosen prudence over haste. We choose it still, as we know that the virus remains a threat to many. But the developments of recent weeks have given us hope that we will, one day soon, be reunited with loved ones whom we have not seen in far too long. For some, perhaps, that day has already come. On this feast day, the image of Mary making haste to Elizabeth tugs at our hearts.
In all things, Mary points us to the love of God. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth reminds us that God makes haste to us. As great is my longing to embrace my niece, my brother, and my sister-in-law, so far greater is God’s desire to embrace each and every one of God’s children. When we make haste to one another, let us not forget that God makes haste to us.
Prayer
God of compassion and strength, visit us and give us the hope of your Spirit dwelling within and around us. Help us to trust in the relationships of our lives that reveal to us your abiding love and lasting peace. Enliven us to always trust in your presence, especially when we embrace our brothers and sisters in joy, as did Mary and Elizabeth. Grant this through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
When the angel Gabriel declared to Mary that she would bear God’s son, the angel also told her that her cousin, Elizabeth, had conceived as well and was six months pregnant. “Mary set out,” writes Luke in his Gospel, “and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth” (Lk 1:36-56).
Elizabeth exclaimed upon seeing Mary, and her child, John the Baptist, leapt in her womb. The words Elizabeth used when she recognized Mary’s role in our life of faith are remembered in the “Hail Mary” prayer: “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s praise is captured in what we call the “Magnificat.” This hymn of praise to God is among the oldest hymns in the Church, and it is repeated in prayer every evening in the liturgy of the hours because it proclaims Mary’s faith in God, which is also ours.
The Visitation—this moment of greeting between the two pregnant cousins—is depicted in stained glass in Walsh Hall and in sculpture outside of the Eck Welcome Center on campus.
Relics from both Mary and Elizabeth rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, including a piece of Elizabeth's house and a portion of clothing that Mary wore.
On this feast of the Visitation, let us join Mary and Elizabeth to proclaim the greatness of God!
The Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.