Blessed she who believed!

Today is the Feast of the Second Joyful Mystery: the Feast of the Visitation of Mary to St Elizabeth. It is the day we received the second phrase of the Hail Mary, in Elizabeth's inspired words to Mary: "Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; in a loud voice she cried, 'Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!' " (Lk 1:41-42).

Elizabeth does more than praise Mary; she explains what Mary's blessedness consists of: "Blessed is she who trusted that the things promised her by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Lk 1:45). Elizabeth, under the inspiration of the Spirit of prophecy, recognized that, as remarkable as Mary's divine maternity was, it rested on her faith in the Word of God. Jesus would say later, with his eye on us: "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it"  (Lk 11:28).

If you subscribe to my community's Discover Hope newsletter, you may have read the post I wrote a few weeks ago on just this theme of Mary and the Word of God. If not, today would be a fitting day to reflect on your relationship with the Word of God.

As summer begins in earnest in the northern hemisphere, it can be tempting to lighten up on our spiritual commitments. Instead, take advantage of the opportunity to renew those commitments! (If you are not yet a member of our MY SISTERS community, this might be the time to give it a try; you might find that receiving a weekly spiritual guide--and having regular online accompaniment in real time--can keep you from slacking off. Use the link to get the Nunblogger discount: www.pauline.org/vip.)





Image: Detail from the Aussem Book of Hours (16th century Cologne); Walters Museum of Art.