From the moment when Mary conceived the Son of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, wherever she went, there is also the presence of Jesus and the Spirit. Just look at what Elizabeth immediately experienced as soon as her very young cousin set foot in her house and greeted her. I have no idea of the timbre of Mary's voice, but I know well the efficacy of her presence. And this is not the only first for Elizabeth who has had many others: she is the first who, in the presence of Mary, is filled with the Holy Spirit; she is the first to exalt Mary on account of her maternity: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"; she is the first to recognize in Mary the Mother of God, calling her "the mother of my Lord"; she is the first to announce an evangelical beatitude: "Blessed is she who has believed."...I love thinking about this because it is just the way that my friends and I are with each other. Rushing to each other to share joys and sorrows. It is a very "womanly" thing to do and not only does it exemplify all the things in the above excerpt but it shows Mary's and Elizabeth's humanity to me when they rejoice for each other's good fortune in being blessed by God.
About Mary - She is the true and enduring Ark of the Covenant, that is, the dwelling place of God; actually she is more, because it is she from whom god assumed our human nature to live in our midst as our brother. To welcome Mary is the way to receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The first beatitude of the Gospel, "Blessed is she who has believed" is the beatitude of faith; to it corresponds well the last beatitude proclaimed by the risen Christ to Thomas: "Because you have seen and yet believed!" (Jn 20:29). Mary is the model of those who believe without having first seen.
About us - Perhaps we have not yet understood who Mary is; the various firsts of Elizabeth are our help and guide. To delude ourselves into thinking we can have Jesus and the Holy Spirit without going through Mary is not in conformity with the way established by God. Faith, not sensibility, tells us that salvation begins by welcoming Mary.
Father Gabriele Amorth, via Magnificat magazine. Father Amorth is the Chief Exorcist of Rome, Italy, and the author of four books about the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Tags: Catholicism, Christianity
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