31 May 2014 - fount of living water

31 May 2014 - fount of living water

The first reading of the Feast of the Visitation can be read as spoken directly to Elizabeth.

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;

Elizabeth is "advanced in years" and her husband is "an old man" (cf. Luk. 1:18).  Children are "a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward" (cf. Psa. 127:3).  Elizabeth appears deprived of these blessings.  On top of that, the judgment of the LORD appears to be on her husband Zechariah who is rendered speechless by the angel Gabriel. 

But this judgment is temporary.  It is a preparation for the blessings to come.  Zechariah names the child John according to the words of the angel and he is freed to speak.  Elizabeth gives birth in spite of her years.  But even the fulfillment of these deprivations is not all the LORD has in mind.  His blessings surpass the mere absences of blessings which they can notice.

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;

Mary is the True Tabernacle who brings the presence of the King of Israel, the LORD, into the midst of Elizabeth and her household.  Even with the blessings the LORD has given Elizabeth the destiny of her child leaves much room for fear.  In fact, the more clearly she understands it, the more likely she is to fear on a human level.  But Mary brings Jesus here in her womb to Elizabeth and says to her, "Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!"  Even though his birth will be painful, even though his path will be difficult, Elizabeth doesn't need to be afraid.  The Savior is here and he makes all the rest of it make sense.

He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

Elizabeth and Mary are both filled with joy by the infant in Mary's womb.  He rejoices over them, and in them, and even in the infant John, by his Spirit.

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most 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.

Mary also takes up the song of joy that the Savior inspires.  She is constantly renewed in the love of the one who dwells within her.  Here in the presence of Elizabeth she gives it voice.

And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

God rejoices over them.  This manifests by his joy within them, the joy they take in the love he shows.  May our own praise be informed by this idea.  Mary brings Jesus to us just as she does Elizabeth.  And his presence should inspire joy in us like it does in John and then, in turn, Elizabeth.  This is not just joy because of him.  This is literally his joy shared with us.  It is for this reason that even an infant leaps for joy in a womb.  He doesn't know cognitively a reason for this joy.  He simply experiences it as God rejoices over him.  So too does Mary want to bring the joy of Jesus to us.

Mary is the fountain of salvation.  Jesus is the source of the living water that we first taste in baptism.  We should revisit this fountain often. 

With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.

At Pentecost we are invited to taste the living water once again.  The living water refers to the waters of baptism on one level but that is because Jesus says that it is "the Spirit that those who came to believe" receive (cf. Joh. 7:39).  And that means that we need to drink of it constantly, and not just at our baptism.  And that, in turn, means we need to come to the fountain, Mary, constantly to ask it of her.  She delights to pour it out.  She wants to inspire us to take up her song of praise to God.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!