Day Two/Three: Luke 1:39-45

Sorry I did not get this up yesterday. My youngest had a rough nap and was very needy of her mommy after she woke up.

Ahh, this is one of my favorite parts of the Gospel of Luke. Why? Because we see where some of the first half of the Hail Mary prayer comes from!

Growing up, I’ve heard this story a million times (exaggeration, but you understand what I am saying.), but I never really paid attention to the words. Yes, I know that Mary went to visit her cousin after getting the news that Elizabeth had conceived a child, but that greeting? I grew up as a nondenominational, not a Catholic, so we never really cared to look at the words more closely in the bible. We just knew that Elizabeth was pregnant and her baby leaped when she heard Mary’s voice.

I converted to Catholicism in 2007 and this was the first I had a conversation about the Hail Mary prayer and where you can find it in the bible. Of all the people in the bible, it was Elizabeth, her cousin, who has given us the first part of the Hail Mary! I would have thought it to be an Angel, someone with more meaning and value, not a relative, but that’s the thing! We, as human beings, have a hard time just stopping to look at the little things in life, or those who do not seem so important. We worry about what computer we have, or if we have the latest iPhone that’s out on the market. We never look and think about the little things we have in our lives. We know that our family is important, that’s why we put them before us. We want to make sure that our children and husbands or wives are well taken care of before we think about ourselves. But is that all? Would we say that our aunt or uncle is significant or as important as an Angel? Probably not and that is why this passage is so important and meaningful to our faith. Elizabeth has greeted our Heavenly Mother with the most important message for us: “Most blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” For Mary is the mother of our Lord, Jesus!

There are many things I hope to accomplish this Lent and one of them is for me to just stop and look at my surroundings and to thank God for all that he has provided for me and to be thankful for the little things and not the material things in life.

Food for thought: What do you hope to accomplish this Lent?