First reading Zephaniah 3:14-18
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst
Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has repealed your sentence;
he has driven your enemies away.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
you have no more evil to fear.
When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear,
do not let your hands fall limp.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult with joy over you,
he will renew you by his love;
he will dance with shouts of joy for you
as on a day of festival.
Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12
The rejoicing of a redeemed people
Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.
Sing a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Gospel Luke 1:39-56
The Almighty has done great things for me
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
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Carrying the presence of God
After receiving Angel Gabriel’s announcement that she would be the
Mother of God, Mary did not focus on herself, her emotions, worries and
thoughts. Instead, she immediately visited Elizabeth after hearing that
her cousin was also pregnant. In her movement towards Elizabeth,
Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb, brought God’s presence to her.
Mother of God, Mary did not focus on herself, her emotions, worries and
thoughts. Instead, she immediately visited Elizabeth after hearing that
her cousin was also pregnant. In her movement towards Elizabeth,
Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb, brought God’s presence to her.
We are all called to be God-bearing. Whenever we go out of ourselves
and make our way to others, we bring God’s presence to them like Mary.
Maybe we can honestly ask ourselves if people can see God’s presence
when we are with them. Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the
Visitation, let us ask Mother Mary to help us also have the courage to
and make our way to others, we bring God’s presence to them like Mary.
Maybe we can honestly ask ourselves if people can see God’s presence
when we are with them. Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the
Visitation, let us ask Mother Mary to help us also have the courage to
de-centre from ourselves so that we can go to those around us and bring
God’s loving presence to them.
God’s loving presence to them.
Question for reflection:
Do I carry the presence of God to those around me?
Do I carry the presence of God to those around me?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
