by Sister Francis Bangert
Today’s Gospel, focusing our gaze on the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, is filled with hope.
Cousins Elizabeth, the childless, and Mary, the virgin, are more deeply bonded to one another by surprise pregnancies. An unpredictable God overlooks the predictability of nature by making the childless and the virgin fruitful.
Elizabeth carries John, the restless. Mary bears Jesus, the face of God who is LOVE. Their lives touch -- the old and the new; an ancient promise and time’s fulfillment are revealed.
Their gentle meeting is a powerful image of “God with us”. In these challenging times for families, for Church and troubled world, in hard-to-make decisions for an unpredictable future, in being faithful to modern day un-prized values, does our abandoned hope shield us from surprise? Does our fear of being known hide us from God’s embrace of love?
May these two women, Elizabeth and Mary, call us to laugh at the ways an unpredictable God wishes to love us and may we move into our unknown futures with hope-filled abandon in our hearts.
Bread for my day. Thank you, Sister!
Sr. Francis, You have written a beautiful poem!
Oh how I wish to move into my future with hope filled abandon. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.
Thank you for reminding us about real hope in these tumultuous times. Lovely!
Thank you, Sister Fran, for reminding us that God is our God of Hope, who blesses us with surprises and miracles...none greater than Jesus being born of Mary to become our Savior and Emmanuel. You always help me to see things in a new way. Thank you for your insight. Merry Christmas!
Thank you Sr. Fran. The combination of humor and hope that you describe is very powerful, and it serves us well. Merry Christmas!