Today, I had the opportunity to visit the Basilica of the Visitation in Ein Karem, a hill-side town just outside Jerusalem. It was here Elizabeth and Zechariah lived and the place that St. John the Baptist was born and raised.
Today's meditation came around the idea of Elizabeth. Here she lived a life and was known to be barren. You can only imagine the many years she cried out in anguish asking for the Lord for a child; to allow her to bear a child. Many years go by, hope seems to be vanquished, and when she is of old age the Angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah that she will conceive! Now, everything she had hoped for in the past comes to an instant and scary reality. You can imagine the overwhelming feeling of, "can I actually do this now?" She had asked and cried to the Lord for this gift, and now this gift may seem like an impossible challenge in her old age. But the Lord is always faithful in His calling and gifts. He sends to Elizabeth the greatest gift of all. He sends Mary bearing Christ the Lord! After the Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel, Mary goes in haste (90 miles from Nazereth to Ein Karem) to meet and help Elizabeth for the last 3 months of her pregnancy. Elizabeth can only respond when they meet, "How is it that the mother of my Lord come to me?" Elizabeth is given all the grace she needed to fulfill her pregnacy! Mary, bringing Christ with her, was the instrument of God's grace!
So I turned that reflection on my own calling. For the longest time I desired to have an answer, a direction for my life from the Lord. After having a profound experience in the Eucharist and feeling the draw to the priesthood, I have to say the Grace seemed quite overwhelming! The work, the commitment, the sacrifice. Not to mention the constant criticism, a life being judged because of the life I chose. I could only fall back in my prayer of the rosary, asking the Lord to give me the same beautiful grace of having Mary join me in my journey and bring it to completion!
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
(Basilica of Visitation - On the wall is a Mosaic of Mary being protected by angels on her journey to visit Elizabeth, her cousin)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.