Feast of the Visitation

It somehow seems appropriate to close out the month of May which has traditionally been dedicated to Mary with this feast. After the Angel Gabriel tells Mary of the impending birth of Jesus, Gabriel also tells her that her cousin Elizabeth who was past childbearing age has also conceived a child (who would grow up to be John the Baptist). Mary immediately goes out to see her.

As soon as Elizabeth sees Mary, her child leaped in her womb. Amy Welborn in today's Living Faith writes: "It has always intrigued and awed me that the first person to recognize Jesus as Lord was an unborn child." I had never really thought about that before. I had always focused more on Mary's act of giving. Even in her first trimester when she was no doubt not feeling her best, she sets out on what must have been an arduous journey to help her cousin out. Welborn's emphasis on the unborn John the Baptist is an interesting one. Even in utero John the Baptist knew his mission in life was to proclaim that Jesus was coming. Even before our birth, God has given each of us our mission. It's just up to us to connect with God to figure it out!