Visitation

I had prepared a different homily for this morning.

On, Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

But then I came across this old document my father had collected.

The pages are discolored and fragile, falling apart.

But still fully readable.

And they describe today’s Feast—The Visitation.

Mary went to visit Elizabeth.

She was Mary’s cousin.

Elizabeth was happy to see her.

Mary helped take care of baby John.

After a long time, she went home.

That’s a pretty simple and limited description of the Visitation.

It focuses on just a few aspects of that visit.

Elizabeth’s joy at seeing Mary.

And Mary’s act of kindness in helping with baby John.

This document is part of a little booklet.

It includes descriptions of not only The Visitation,

But also The Annunciation, The Birth of Jesus,

The Presentation at the Temple,

And The Finding in the Temple.

Simplistic descriptions of the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

This document isn’t dated.

It’s clearly old but not ancient.

I estimate that it’s about 60 years old.

And written by a 2^nd grader in a Catholic school.

Maybe a combined project in Religion and Penmanship.

That estimate is based on the signature.

It was signed by me.

What struck me about this was seeing how much deeper we can go

From simple beginnings.

No matter how many times we’ve read or heard a Scripture story,

There’s always more we can get from it.

From re-reading, meditating, contemplating and listening.

From reimagining in the light of our added life experiences.

Today’s gospel account of the Visitation is packed with information.

Our carrying God within us.

The need for humility and charity.

The joy of receiving some proof that our faith was well placed.

The level of consciousness attained by infants in the womb.

The promise of God’s mercy throughout the generations.

And more.

Many of these truths are within the basic grasp of a 2^nd grader.

But these are truths too many in number to absorb all at once.

And too rich and nuanced and complicated to deem fully considered.

Clearly a 7-year-old could never 
Exhaust the consideration of these truths.

But could a 17-year-old?

Or a 37-year-old?

Or even a 97-year-old?

Feast of The Visitation

Lk 1:39-56   Read this Scripture @usccb.org