Luke 1:39-57
Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth - Years A, B, C
“Blessed are you among people, and blessed is the fruit of your life.” This is indeed an extended translation of “Namaste”. Greetings between people at this level bring forth lives leaping from within— Mexican jumping beings, if you will. This greeting that sees G*D within the other is a creative word that brings forth more and more. One word leads to another, story upon story, until we marvel at how far we have come because we weren’t paying attention to the results of our interaction, simply the interaction itself.
We are to become a fulfillment of the greetings we have received and given. This is a sacred foundation that can set things right.
- - - - - - -
magnified my soul is …
remembering Isaac escaped from sacrifice
cowering behind the altar
reflecting on Abraham’s fearful faith
finally stammering
magnified my soul is …
remembering Mary at the cross
immobilized in hope and fear
reflecting on birth and death of love
finally stating
magnified my soul is …
remembering every trial come through
still caught in some unfinished
reflecting on my little jokes and G*D’s big one
finally claiming
magnified my soul is ...
- - - - - - -
Fragment inspired by translational material from Provoking the Gospel of Luke: A Storyteller’s Commentary, Year C by Richard W. Swanson (this series is evocative and recommended).
We are to become a fulfillment of the greetings we have received and given. This is a sacred foundation that can set things right.
cowering behind the altar
reflecting on Abraham’s fearful faith
finally stammering
magnified my soul is …
immobilized in hope and fear
reflecting on birth and death of love
finally stating
magnified my soul is …
still caught in some unfinished
reflecting on my little jokes and G*D’s big one
finally claiming
magnified my soul is ...
As found in Wrestling Year A: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience
Upon connecting the unliklinesses of her pregnancy with Elizabeth’s, Mary hied herself both hence and thence, thus heightening the intensity of her travel.
If we are not going to practice a magic trick of pre-conscious revelation by an unborn or a suspicious correlation instead of causation, we might wonder about a universal greeting that still carries power, “Fear not!”
Having seen Zechariah’s written report of his interaction with an angel, Elizabeth knows a code word when she hears it. Why wouldn’t Mary’s first words to Elizabeth when she unexpectedly turns up miles from home be, “Fear not!”
An appropriate response to this greeting is, “Well, this is going to end in a blessing, so why don’t I just jump there.”
[Side trail alert—intuition is the ancient presentation of a 24-hour cable/babel news cycle. Speculation is set on high, reported breathlessly and ardently. You can take it from here.]
There have been more words about Elizabeth’s words and Mary’s words than can be easily measured by a Google search. [For those who want to know, “Blessed are you among women” clocks in at 879,000 and “My soul magnifies the Lord” is more than 4 times greater, 3,580,000.] Add words your own at your own peril.
While we are dealing with Elizabeth and John, don’t forget to celebrate the Nativity of Baptizer John on June 24 (only 6 months, 191 shopping days, until Christmas) as there is an interesting connection between the birth feasts for John and Jesus. You might want to start now with a new rhythm for your church year:
— Summer Solstice - June 24 - Nativity of Fire John
— Autumnal Equinox - September 23 - Conception of Fire John
— Winter Solstice - December 25 - Nativity of Spirit Jesus
— Vernal Equinox - March 25 - Conception of Spirit Jesus
[Beside the point here unless you enjoy plays on words: If you can still get it, you may want to spend some time with Fire in the John as a humorous way to engage the Men’s Movement of yore by Bly and others. Its relevance to these women is questionable.]