
We can imagine many reasons for Mary's haste in visiting her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation. Helen Syski shares her favorite.
During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39-40)
There are many reasons we can imagine for Mary’s haste. There is the oft-put-forward charity to her elderly pregnant cousin. The physical reality of pregnancy and the social and religious repercussions of Mary's seemingly sinful conception are also very good reasons for haste!
Enter the great mercy of God
Yet perhaps the most beautiful reason for Mary’s haste is that Mary knew her cousin was also experiencing a miraculous pregnancy. God had gifted Mary a friend whose heart would be ready to receive her own incredible news, for He was working in parallel in that friend’s life.
When God asks something so huge, when He asks for a giant act of faith, it is easy to be at peace or full of zeal while His consolations are still with us. But when they end, we may wonder if we dreamed it all. Self-doubt seeps in. Sometimes misunderstanding or judgement pour upon us from others, even prayerful others, and our hearts lose the peace that had accompanied our fiat.
God knows that our hearts yearn for someone who can bring us back into the clarity of His word spoken to us, entrusted to us. Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that Elizabeth was six months pregnant was not only to show Mary the power of God but also to show her that God had a sanctuary prepared for the trying time ahead. God had gifted her a friend who would know, a friend who could hold space for her to process, absorb, and begin this glorious but dangerous mission.
Words that free us to sing
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and 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?” (Luke 1: 41-43)
We can imagine that the journey to Judah was not easy. We can imagine a travel worn Mary, anxiety and doubt nipping at her. Her faith strong but temptations swirling, Mary likely arrived in need of refreshment both in body and spirit.
Saint Elizabeth’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit into her heart freed Mary’s soul to leap forth and sing her Magnificat. It is through our Saint Elizabeth friends that God releases our souls from the captivity of doubt and confusion. The evil one is expunged from our hearts by the Truth they speak, and we step back into the warmth of His light.
Saint Elizabeth friends. Friends who are going through the same thing. Friends who have been receiving the same insights from God. Friends whose stories and experiences make you tingle with the Holy Spirit, regain your anchor of hope, your faith, your clear sightedness. Ask for these friends, “For nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:36-37).
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Copyright 2024 Helen Syski
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About the Author

Helen Syski
Helen Syski is co-founder of the Kiss of Mercy Apostolate, a Little Way to heal the world from abortion. A life-long New Englander and Harvard grad, Helen enjoys all four seasons and apple pie with her husband, children, and Labrador retriever. Continue the conversation at AdequateAnthropologist.com.
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