"How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Lk 1:43)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of the Zephaniah
Zep 3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 1:39-56
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.
FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - Lk 1:39-56
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
At the beginning of God's work of creation, the Blessed Mother Mary was the first woman chosen by God to participate in His work of salvation, this is a very significant grace. God predestined her to be the Immaculate Conception and the Mother of God. She always lives in close association with the Holy Trinity in God's work of creation and salvation with humans. Standing behind God is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the woman who crushed the head of the snake that the Bible spoke of during the period of creation.
In God's creation, to become the first Mother of humanity, she had to go through many difficulties and challenges in life. Then came the first period of God's work of salvation, when the Second Person came to earth and became a human being. When she was filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, she said 'yes' in humility to receive the Son of God Himself entering her womb. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” She was named the Mother of God.
After that, the Blessed Mother learned that her cousin Elisabeth was pregnant in her old age. She obeyed God and traveled to visit Elisabeth and Saint John, the fetus in her womb. Saint John is the one who will go first to prepare the way for the Savior to come later. The image of Mother Mary visiting Elizabeth is also the image of her bringing God to humanity. At that moment, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out: “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?" Elizabeth's confession says: Mary is the Mother of God. She brought God to humanity. She is the mediator between God and humanity.
Those who want to be saved by God should follow the example of the Blessed Mother Mary's virtuous life; because she is the Immaculate Conception, the Perpetual Virgin Mary, the one who ascended into heaven both soul and body and the one who became the Mother of God. Now, let everyone join the Blessed Virgin Mary in praising God through the Magnificat:
“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.”
God invites everyone to follow the example of humility and perfect obedience to God in Mother Mary. Although she is the Mother of God, she is not arrogant. She always feared God and recognized herself as the lowest servant. She only knows how to obey and follow God's will. Besides, because she is human, the Blessed Mother also had to go through difficulties, challenges, and hardships when carrying God's son to earth as a human; but because of her obedience to God, she accepted it with a "yes". The Blessed Mother was delighted when God allowed her to collaborate in His work of salvation.
Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. God also wants all of His children, especially those who are walking in God's divine work:
- to follow the Blessed Mother's example of humility and obedience to God the Father in joy and happiness, because God allows us to cooperate in His work of salvation. Even if people are persecuted, condemned, and encounter difficulties and challenges, everyone should look at the image of the Blessed Mother Mary when she was pregnant with the Son of God and came to earth: She could not find a worthy place to give birth to the Son of God. He was born in a stable of cows and donkeys. Is there anyone as difficult as the Blessed Mother Mary when giving birth to Jesus? Look at the image of the Blessed Mother to continue moving forward in God's divine work.
- On the journey to the Father's House in heaven, no matter what difficulties and challenges everyone faces, let's give thanks to God like the Blessed Mother Mary. Recognize ourselves as a lowly servant of God and obey God in all things.
- Follow the example of the Blessed Mother Mary as a missionary who always joyfully and cheerfully brings God to all people, bringing God's salvation to the souls of our brothers and sisters.
- When people want to ask God for something, they should ask through the Blessed Mother Mary, because she is the most pleasing intercessor to God. Unite with her, and pray to her constantly, so that she can teach us how to live in the most pleasing way to God, and she can also strengthen us to help everyone fulfill their God-given duties.
- The special thing that God wants to emphasize today is that God gives the Blessed Mother two privileges: to be the Counselor and the Marshal to lead her children to fight against the demons of Satan. Therefore, in every moment of life, each person should pray to Mother:
. Please help us banish Satan's demons and help us stay away from the temptations, traps, and sins brought by Satan.
. Please help us fight against Satan to win souls back to God the Father.
. Please help us to always follow your example of virtues: humility and absolute obedience to God the Father, so that Satan does not steal our souls.
. Dear Mother, please accompany us all, so that we do not fall into Satan's trap.
Today, the Blessed Mother Mary wants to remind her children:
- to connect with Mother through the Rosary. The Rosary is a bridge between people and the Blessed Mother Mary, a way to bring children closer to her. When we pray the Rosary, she will always accompany and protect us.
- "I always love all of my children, so I do not want anyone to fall into the hands of Satan. I invite you to run to me. I will protect my beloved children from the power of Satan so that I can bring you back to God the Father, who always loves and is waiting for my children to return with Him.
Thanks be to God and to Blessed Mother Mary. Amen.
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