In order to understand the Visitation, we need to back up a little:
The
Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her that she will become pregnant with
the Son of God. Mary, being the
all-star that she is, responds “let it be done to me.” While Gabriel is visiting Mary, he
tells her that her cousin, Elizabeth, is also pregnant. Now, Elizabeth was very old and thought
to be barren. So, really, there
are 2 major miracles here.
So,
then we get into the Visitation.
Mary,
while pregnant, takes off for Judah to visit Elizabeth. When Mary arrives, Elizabeth is
ecstatic. She describes her child,
who we know as John the Baptist, as jumping in her womb. Elizabeth’s response is gorgeous, and
many of you know it from a prayer we often pray today: the Hail Mary.
Often
times, that’s where people cut off the story. But, that misses my absolute favorite part--- the part I
consider to be the meat of it:
Mary stays
with Elizabeth for 3 months.
That’s
all the Bible says. That’s all we
get: Mary stays for 3 months.
I
like to imagine what those 3 months were filled with. I’m sure there was some freaking out about how on earth they
became pregnant. And probably lots
of girl talk. I’m sure there was
praying, and laughing and some tears too.
But
my guess? There were a lot of
ordinary, every day moments.
And I LOVE
that.
So,
for 3 months, they just hung out and went about their lives.
And
most definitely, God was present in those ordinary moments.
And
here’s what I love the most:
they
were together for 3 months, and our semester is roughly 3 months.
Think
about these next 3 months of the semester.
There
will be profound moments.
There
will be excruciating moments.
But
most of all--- there will be a lot of in
between moments.
Those
moments that aren’t especially note worthy. The moments that fill our day. The in between moments.
So
when I look at the Visitation, I see that it’s about two main things:
Friendship
God is with us in the in between moments.
In
those moments that don’t stand out, in our every day busyness:
God
is there. God is here.
If
we pay attention to our every day moments, all the moments that we often just
let pass by, we’ll realize the many ways that God is working in our lives.
So
whether you are trying to figure out what to major in, or whether to keep up
that long-distance relationship from home, or what to do after graduation--I am
confident that God is already speaking to you through your every day
experiences.
It
is our job to pay attention to those moments.
