This reflection from Archbishop Kurtz appeared in the December 2020 volume of Give Us This Day (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN) and is reprinted with permission.
As Christmas nears, this account of Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth speaks of the joy of giving. Ever since my seminary days fifty years ago, I regarded Mary’s visit as a great act of social service. Mary was pregnant and had every right to be concerned about the health of her son and herself during her pregnancy. Nevertheless, she visited Elizabeth, and we do the same as we serve others.
After I was ordained, a new understanding emerged from this story, the dimension of sharing joy. In many ways, the greatest gift of social service we provide others is to bring Christ to them or, often, to uncover Christ already present in their lives. Thus, this account of the visitation began to speak to me about sharing joy and how when shared, joy increases within our own hearts. This notion is clearly present in Elizabeth’s wonderful greeting now found in the Hail Mary and Mary’s Magnificat response. Elizabeth and Mary express the joy that comes from Christ and our encounter with him in our lives. We leap for joy!
Now I re-read today’s Gospel and the verses beyond, and for the first time in fifty years notice something that was always there. Luke ends the story by stating that Mary spent three months with Elizabeth. All this time, I envisioned this encounter as a quick event, the kind of pastoral visit I make to a hospital or home or parish. In three months, however, Mary would have settled in and entered into dialogue and a deeper way of sharing joy that would be more enduring. The story’s image now is of a plant growing from a seed, and the learning is that the gift of joy shared with another needs to germinate. We should not rush away too quickly from the person we visit.
Abp. Joseph E. Kurtz
The Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, DD, is archbishop of Louisville.
