Presence

I pause for a moment and think of the love
and the grace that God showers on me:
I am created in the image and likeness of God;
I am God’s dwelling-place.

Freedom

Lord, You granted me the great gift of freedom.
In these times, O Lord, grant that I may be free
from any form of racism or intolerance.
Remind me, Lord, that we are all equal
in Your loving eyes.

Consciousness

Lord, grant that I may always desire
to spend time in Your presence.
May I not forget Your goodness to me.
Guide me to share Your blessings with others.

The Word of God

³⁹In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

⁴⁶And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; ⁵⁰indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁵²He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Inspiration

Mary, in her kindness, goes to be of help to her aged cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant. Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, praises Mary for believing in the words of the message brought to her by God by the angel Gabriel. Mary is our great model of faith as she accepts what will happen to her, even to seeing her Son executed on a cross.

Mary is also a model of gratitude to God as she acknowledges that all comes from the hands of God. ‘For he who is mighty has done great things for me.’ She prays in a great spirit of humility, recognising her own littleness. ‘Mary, our Mother, help us to learn from you and to follow your Son Jesus Christ in faith and humility.’

Conversation

Remembering that I am still in God’s presence,
I imagine Jesus Himself standing or sitting beside me,
and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart,
speaking as one friend to another.

Conclusion

I thank God for His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen