蜜芽传媒

Good morning. The feast of the Visitation, which many Christians celebrate today, recalls that scene in Luke's gospel where immediately after hearing she will become the mother of Jesus, Mary hurries to visit her older cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. It's a very simple scene: two pregnant women greet each other and rejoice in God's goodness; however, the scene's simplicity belies a great mystery.
鈥淕od works in mysterious ways鈥� the saying goes. But to my mind, today's feast shows us that God equally works in very concrete and tangible ways and, I think, it has something to say about our response to God.聽Mary would have had to travel four days on foot from Nazareth to reach Elizabeth's house in the hill country of Judea. Her response is arguably as concrete as God's intervention in her life.聽While holy and pious thoughts are commendable and have their place, I believe that merely thinking about God's goodness or love or mercy or forgiveness will only get us so far if we're not willing to do for others concrete acts of goodness, love, mercy and forgiveness. If we're looking for God to make a tangible difference in our lives then perhaps we need to start making a tangible difference in the lives of those around us and in the wider world, even if it comes at a personal cost, as it did for Mary and Elizabeth.聽For me, the feast of the Visitation brings us back down to earth and roots us in the here and now and in the immediate needs of those around us; and it challenges each of us to make a positive difference to the world we inhabit聽Almighty God, you inspired the Virgin Mary, while pregnant with Jesus, to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Open our hearts and minds to your promptings that we may see the needs of others and respond to them with generosity. Amen.