4th Sunday, Year C, Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth

“Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to Her home.”

Before these words, there is the powerful Gospel scene when Mary greets Elizabeth and the unborn John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother, Elizabeth’s womb. Elizabeth cried out, “Who am I that the Mother of the Lord should come to me?” Mary was just 5 days pregnant with Jesus, for that is how long it took for Her to travel from Nazareth to Ein Karem the village where Elizabeth lived, so it would have been impossible for Elizabeth to know Mary was pregnant with the Lord. At the moment of Mary’s greeting when the unborn Jesus blessed the unborn John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, the Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth Mary’s pregnancy with the Lord. The Virgin Mary then gave Her moving words, in what we now call Her Magnificat, as She gave praise to God telling Elizabeth and us, that Her soul magnifies the Lord due to God Her Savior, within Her womb.

This powerful scene is followed by what appears to be an insignificant passage. Mary just finished proclaiming “the greatness of the Lord” and exalting His mercy in one of the most brilliant Scriptural acclamation of all time. Scores of books, hymns, and prayers have been produced throughout the centuries based on the “Magnificat.” And yet, the story comes to an abrupt end, summing up the next three months in a single sentence. No popular hymns have been written, no prayer, no books, no made-for-TV movies about Luke 1:56, “Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to Her home.”

From everything we can surmise about Mary, She was a woman of few words. We know She was a humble “handmaid of the Lord,” She was obedient to all that God asked of Her, and She pondered the things of God in Her Heart. That all would have taken an enormous amount of listening, and very little speaking.

It is likely very few words were exchanged between Mary and Elizabeth in the three months that followed their greeting. Scripture highlights for us the only words we need to know about what Mary has to say to Elizabeth, and so our lens into their time together ends there. No more details are given, no more recorded knowledge of their visit. What conversation might have transpired between the two, we can only imagine.

What does this tell us? It tells us that what is significant for us to know is simply that Mary stayed for three months, and not the details of what took place during that time. But there is a lot to unpack in that “little” fact, which, as we will see, is not so insignificant after all.

First, Mary stayed. She didn’t complete her biblical mission of proclaiming the Magnificat and then take off. It is true, when God asked Her to do something, She would do it “in haste”; but that does not mean She acted hastily. It simply means She was prompt. But Mary also would have given Her time and attention to the Elizabeth, so much so that Her immense love would have made her feel as if she was the only one who mattered in that moment. May we ourselves strive to love others with that same kind of time and attention.

Secondly, Mary stayed three months—not two, not four. Sometimes, when women have difficult pregnancies, such as preparing for twins, or perhaps due to pregnancy complications, the doctor may put them on bed-rest to stay in the hospital until the child is safe for delivery. Although oftentimes, the mothers of the pregnant women come to help and stay with them, there isn’t much they can do leading up to their arrival, except for emotional support and praying with them. Then if the child is born early, some mothers will stay with their daughter and her newborn until the new mother feels comfortable staying by herself

It is believed Joseph accompanied Mary on her visit to Elizabeth, but immediately departed. If Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months to offer help, why not have Her stay longer, to help after the baby was born, when help would most be needed? Most likely, this is because while Mary would certainly have helped Elizabeth after the birth, She knew it was not God’s plan, for Her to stay after the birth.

Scripture tells us, Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary arrived, and that She stayed three months. That tells us that Mary left once John was born. She was to stay with Elizabeth to witness John’s birth, and, it is quite possible, She delivered the baby herself! And if that is the case, then the very first hands that would have touched the head of the precursor would have been the hands of the one carrying the Child whom John was destined to herald.

Maybe God wanted to show Mary, the pain and difficulty of giving birth. Later when Mary gave birth to Jesus without labor pains, as Jesus would be born in a miraculous pain-free manner, due to Her not suffering from original sin, She would deeply appreciate what God will do for Her.

Jesus, through Mary, could have imposed a blessing—immediately and upon John’s forehead, the very moment he entered this world because Mary held the baby John as he was born, since children are born head first.

Once Mary’s mission was completed, She “returned home.” There is a tendency we have when enjoying a spiritual consolation to linger with it. The birth of John must have been a moment of incredible joy for both women. The birth of a child usually causes the mother and child to bond.

The Jews had been waiting for centuries, and now, we can only imagine the eager excitement and anticipation these two women must have felt. Not to mention how hard it must have been for them to say goodbye. Ordinarily, when it was time for a mother to leave after her daughter who gave birth, they must feel heartbroken at the departure.

Perhaps Elizabeth thought of begging Mary to stay. And surely Mary would have been sad to leave Her elderly cousin, with her newborn boy.

However, Mary’s visit could not go beyond the “prescribed” time. And so, by Mary leaving, it caused Elizabeth to cling ever more to her husband, Zechariah. And so, Mary’s departure helped the father of the child to bond with his new born baby boy and his wife Elizabeth. It also forced Elizabeth to trust God, that He would take care of her, the baby, and her husband.

Once Mary departed, now was the time for Joseph and Mary to pray and make ready for the biggest event in salvation history the world would ever know, the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem.

Joseph had to deal with the experience of discovering Mary was pregnant, and not understanding how it could be, since he was not the father. By Mary and Joseph going through the turmoil caused by of the Child Jesus coming into the world, by the Holy Spirit, it gave both a deeper appreciation of each other each realizing it was by God’s plan and He would help them overcome the difficulty.

Only after the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream did he understand it was by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary conceived. This event caused the bond between Mary and Joseph to become ever more secure and their love between them grow beyond measure. The marital bond, with God at the center of their relationship, caused the couple to have a relationship beyond description.

Today, if couples want to grow in their relationship, they should pray the Rosary together every day meditating on the life of Jesus and Mary, especially the joyful, sorrowful and glories mysteries, which will strengthen their relationship, help them overcome misunderstandings, and bring about a bond of unity like that of the Holy Family.

Mostly taken from M.C. Holbrook, Catholic Exchange