In Haste to Act!

Friday, May 31, 2024

Feast of the Visitation

Zep 3:14-18; Lk 1:39-56

The Feast of the Visitation celebrates the transformation that Jesus’ presence brings within us. 

The interior impulse that the Virgin Mary experienced becomes our inspiration to be attuned to the promptings of God in us. 

The phrase ‘in haste’ explains all that Mary is. 

1.In Haste to Encounter: Mary traveled in haste to an encounter with her cousin Elizabeth. Real encountering takes place when a person abandons the comfort of his/her place to meet the other in their place of need. Such a radical encounter is risky because it encounters the other in his/her vulnerability. More importantly, the encounter is not only between Mary and Elizabeth but also between Jesus and John. Mary’s goodness makes such an encounter possible. 

2. In Haste to Express Solidarity: Mary acts on the Divine Word. Nothing holds her back when she wishes to extend her solidarity with her elderly cousin. It is her own initiative, without Elizabeth requesting the presence of Mary with her. In what she does, we find the Virgin Mary intuitive and sensitive, so that she spontaneously acts on her interior impulse.  

3. In Haste to Help: Mary’s gesture inspires us to ask ourselves about our ability to respond to the needy humanity. Mary reckons from the Angel’s message that her cousin would need her support. It is not only that Mary recognizes Elizabeth’s need but also converts her goodwill into an act of charity. 

In all of what Mary does, we detect the transformative presence of Jesus in her. 

It is not only that the presence of Jesus becomes the source of Mary’s interior impulse, but also that Mary acts on the inner promptings of God. 

The feast of the visitation is an invitation to hearken to the echoes of God in us so that, like Mary, we can act on them, turning the Divine inspiration into acts of charity. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar