First reading: Mic. 5:1–4a

Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.

Second reading: Heb. 10:5–10

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” 

First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. Then he says, :Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will,”  we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Gospel: Lk. 1:39–45

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, “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.”

In other words

by Fr. Sonny de Rivera, SVD (Rome, Italy)

We are all actors in life, and we hand in our decisive contribution to a plot and storyline, providing depth and context by interacting with the other characters. The storyline leads to the birth of Christ, which we celebrate shortly. It is portrayed between characters, leading and supporting ones, and their connections.

We all agree that this salvific drama leads to the birth of a Savior in a manger. It centers mainly on Mary, the Theotokos (Mother of God). Several supporting characters propel Mary’s role and centeredness in the delivery of Christ. They add to the gravitas of the coming birth of a Savior, bringing hope and glad tidings to a wounded world. A significant event that portrays the interrelation of characters is two women, namely Mary and her cousin Elizabeth as narrated in our Gospel story.

However, the main protagonist in this scene is the unseen Jesus. Through Jesus’ presence, the two women lauded God for the great works he had done for them. The unborn John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Elizabeth, in turn, recognizes Mary. The Word of God became flesh in Mary because she responded with faith to the angel Gabriel’s message.

We can rightfully say that Mary’s encounter with Elizabeth at the Visitation is a lesson in service and joy in the Christian life. Serving others is the suitable DNA for every Christian. Mary’s hastened journey is expressed in the phrase “get up.” We also get up when we feel courageous and motivated by our ideals and God’s calling.

In this wounded world, we are called to be creative disciples facing all hardships and challenges with pain. We get up and help other people.

As we carry on our roles as protagonists, actors, and supporting characters in life’s events, Mary is our model. She gets up and hastens to respond and accept her role as the first woman evangelizer. Are we willing to get up and hurry to respond, to serving and reaching out to others? Are we ready to serve with no measures of retribution? In our quest to help, do we recognize the hand of God who showers us with the graces we need?

According to Pope Francis, we imitate Mary when we reach out to others for an authentic encounter. We become protagonists in renewing God’s expression of love, making it happen, just as it did then.