

And the angel being come in, said unto her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." And the angel said to her: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. ... And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God." And Mary said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word." (Luke 1:28, 30-31, 36-38, Douay-Riems translation via DRBO.org)Notice: Mary calls herself "the handmaid of the Lord." She is calling herself a "servant." In Greek the word "doula" also means "servant." So, Mary is God's servant -- she is ready to do his will -- but also she can be a "doula" to her cousin Elizabeth ... Now we read in the Gospel of Luke:
And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. (Luke 1: 39-45, Douay-Riems translation via DRBO.org)So, Mary goes in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth who is also pregnant. Even her son John leaped for joy in Elizabeth's womb. Wonder of wonders! I love this passage because if anyone needs to know if a pre-born baby is truly human, just read this passage three times! The Bible does not say if Mary stays for the birth of John, but we will assume she most likely did before returning home. A doula is a person who serves mothers during pregnancy and birth and sometimes postpartum. Mary is a doula to Elizabeth in the Bible. She is serving her cousin! She ministers to Elizabeth's needs.

Copyright 2019 Julie Larsen
About the Author

Julie Larsen
Julie is a mom to four wonderful blessed children, a doula "servant" to mothers for pregnancy to postpartum and owner of spiritual based doula training. She loves sewing, nature, mysteries, sci-fi, drinking tea, and more. Check out her other websites: CatholicDoula.com, Find a Catholic Doula, St. Zelie Parent Education, and Moms of BLOOM: Bettering Lives of Outstanding Moms.
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