Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.
How is it that Mary is able to go and be so selflessly available to Elizabeth, so ready to be humble herself and sing God's praises? If we were in her situation most of us would be worried about ourselves more than anything else. Belief is Mary's secret. God makes promises to all of us. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. But only Mary takes him completely at his word. Because of God's promises she knows she has nothing to fear. She believes in God's power to bring about what he promises even before she has the experience of it.
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.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
Where does belief like this come from? It is a wholehearted response to the initiative of God. We cannot have hope like this through an effort which is self-sustained. We must welcome the Holy Spirit to overshadow us and to fill us just as Mary welcomes him.
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (see Luke 1:35).
It is the Spirit that makes us fervent and enables us to serve without growing slack. It is the Spirit that gives us a hope so great that we are able to move beyond our need for self-preservation and protection in order to contribute to the needs of the holy ones or even to bless those who persecute us. It is a hope which makes us available as Mary as available to Elizabeth.
This same Spirit is ready and waiting to enter more fully into our hearts if we let him. Just as Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit in the presence of Mary and Jesus so too can we be filled. We see what is possible and we drop the barriers that keep him at bay.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
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