Luke 1:44 “For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy.”

Mary, having just received the astounding news from the angel Gabriel that she would bear the Messiah, is understandably overwhelmed. Despite her faith, questions and anxieties surely swirled within her. Luke tells us that she immediately journeys to the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who herself has experienced a miraculous pregnancy.

Though seemingly different, Mary and Elizabeth both share a profound receptivity to God's will. Jesus taught that purity of heart allows us to see God. This is beautifully illustrated here. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes the divine presence within Mary and the unborn Jesus. This moment of shared wonder solidifies Mary's faith and replaces her fear with joy.

Mary and Elizabeth are so alike in their remarkable receptivity to God and God's purposes for them that they play a central part in bringing about a new future for humankind and all of creation. This receptivity to God requires a heart unclouded by self-centered fear and desires. In a world often driven by these forces, Mary and Elizabeth's encounter reminds us that the Holy Spirit resides within us all. By cultivating a fearless openness to God, we, too, can perceive God's will and respond with joy, love, and hope.

At a time when that which is true in the world is so compromised by fear and desire, it is assuring to remember that the Holy Spirit resides in all of us. And that the more we adhere to fearless receptivity to God, the better able we are to perceive and know God's will for us. The joyful encounter of Mary and Elizabeth reminds us that to be receptive to God is to have the capacity to see that which is true, and in turn, respond to the truth with joy, love, and hope. This is good news for us who live surrounded by demagoguery and is a strong lesson that the pure of heart can perceive God and have the capacity to unmask those who pose as one.

Fr. Michael Ryan