A Single Visit 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Today’s Gospel is one of the joyful mysteries of the Rosary— the Visitation. Mary, upon hearing a double portion of unexpected good news from angel Gabriel: that she will become the Mother of the Son of God, the new David and that her relative, Elizabeth, who was called barren has conceived a son in her old age, proceeded in haste in the hill country of Judah to see Elizabeth, who was married to Zechariah, a temple priest. No first century Jew would miss the significance of the residential place of Zechariah and Elizabeth— in “the hill country” of Judah. That was precisely where David found the ark, which was the bearer of God’s presence. So, at that same hill country comes now Mary, the definitive and final Ark of the Covenant. Mary’s hasty visit of Elizabeth has drawn a few interpretations. Some believe the reason why she hurriedly embarked on the trip is because she was bursting to talk to a woman who could personally understand her excitement, her wonder, and probably her nervousness, too. Some argue Mary goes quickly because she has discovered her mission. After the Annunciation, she becomes aware of who she is and what she is about. She has found her role in the Theo-drama. God has revealed to her her mission, her purpose. And so she moves in haste to see her cousin Elizabeth. She reaches out to somebody else who has also found her role in the Theo-drama. Elizabeth too was pregnant with John the Baptist. She knows her purpose in God’s story. Others insist her trip demonstrates her sense of community. Sometimes, our physical presence is the best gift we can give to another person. Mary was carrying Jesus inside her, which gives another layer of meaning to her decision to offer support to her cousin. In a 1997 homily, Saint Pope John Paul II said while reflecting on the Visitation, “In this act of human solidarity, Mary demonstrated that authentic charity which grows within us when Christ is present.”

Sisters and brothers, Mary’s visit is a single visit, however it is a visit that gave us one of the most joyful prayers ever said: Mary’s Magnificat. In the Gospels, Mary is presented as a reserved woman, as someone who doesn’t talk much. She ponders more than she speaks, but in the Magnificat, there are more words from Mary’s lips than all the other words put together in all four Gospels. In other words, Mary prayed more than she engaged in conversation with people. She is a model of contemplation, meditation and prayer. Her visit also gave us part of the most often said prayer in the world— the “Hail Mary.” The Hail Mary begins with the angel’s greeting to Mary at the Annunciation: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you you,” and then adds Elizabeth’s words: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” If you have a non-Catholic friend who frowns and kicks against this prayer, simply tell them that these words are straight from the Bible. So, it won’t be a bad thing to repeat what the Bible says the angel of God and the holy Elizabeth said. 

Mary’s visit is a single visit, however, it is a visit that offers the first Christian creed: Jesus is Lord. Long before Apostle Thomas declared, “My Lord and my God,” (Jn. 20:28), long before St. Paul declares in two of his letters (Rom. 10:9 and 1 Cor. 12:3) that Jesus is Lord (Iesous Kyrios), Elizabeth has made the declaration already. “Jesus is Lord” is the first creed, the first and most distinctive article of faith for a Christian. The term “Lord” is reserved for God alone. Jesus is Lord means that Jesus is divine, Jesus is God incarnate, that is, God-man. The first to confess him as Lord is Elizabeth. For she says to Mary, who brings her unborn baby to Elizabeth, “How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth is the first to call Jesus “my Lord.” If a Christian is one who confesses that “Jesus is Lord,” that makes Elizabeth the first Christian. Her declaration is also the biblical basis for calling Mary, “the Mother of God.” For that is exactly what Elizabeth said she was. But how did Elizabeth know that Mary’s baby is the Lord? To say that God is a baby, to say that a baby in a woman’s womb is God will not only be a stretch impossible to make for a Jew, but also a heresy punishable with death sentence. How did Elizabeth become the first Christian theologian? How did she figure out the theology of the Incarnation? The answer is in today’s Gospel. She didn’t figure it out. She was told. By whom? By God himself. Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

Mary’s visit is a single visit, but it gave John the Baptist the opportunity to become Jesus’ youngest disciple. John recognized the Lord from the womb, before he or Jesus was even born. Elizabeth said that, at the sound of Mary’s greeting, “the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Like King David who danced before the ark of the old covenant, John the Baptist is dancing before the Ark of the New Covenant— Mary. He is doing his own version of David’s dance before the ark. It was Mary’s voice that John heard, and after that, Mary bursts into singing: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” In her song, Mary is doing what John the Baptist would do once he is born: preparing the way of Jesus, pointing to Jesus, preaching Jesus, and stepping back and letting him appear. So, we have the greatest of all women (that’s what God’s angel called Mary) and the greatest of all prophets (that’s what Jesus called John the Baptist) doing the same thing: “He must increase, I must decrease,” as John puts it (John 3:30). What makes them great? Their humility. The central theme of the “Magnificat” is that God exalts the humble and humbles the exalted. 

Mary’s visit is a single visit, however, it’s a visit that brought divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child, John the Baptist. By her visit, the Blessed Mother brought indescribable joy to another mother and child. A few days from now, she will bring forth a child who will give his very life for the salvation of the human race. Because of her child, we have true liberation, peace and joy. Because of Mary’s baby, we have access to the Father. Because of Mary’s child, we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Because of Mary’s baby, we have redemption. Are you ready to welcome him in a special way? If your Advent has been that of proper preparation, then you are ready. You are ready to say, “Come, Lord Jesus” or ’Jesus, you are welcome into my life.’