Tuesday - a Blessing

Prayer:  O God, the giver of all good gifts,  we thank You for all the blessings which You have given us.  Give us always contented minds, cheerful hearts, and ready wills, so that we may spend and be spent in the service of others after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.  (FMP 1964).

Read St. Luke 1: 39 - 45

Mary gathered up her things and went to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah.  Elizabeth and Zechariah lived in a town in the hill country of Judah.  While we don’t know the distance to Elizabeth and Zechariah’s  house,  it was a distance where young girls did not travel alone.  Mary would have had someone travelling with her.   Or she would have found a group travelling to this town in the hill country of Judah.

The Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth and in a loud voice she exclaims to Mary:

1. Blessed are you among women

2.  blessed is the child you will bear

3.  Why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

4.  Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.

Right there,  Mary must have found a sense of relief.   This older woman,  Elizabeth,  is saying that Mary is blessed.   And Mary is blessed because of her belief in what God said to her. 

A blessing is a understood to be a communication of life from God.  With life comes vigour and strength which brings one peace of mind.  God is the only one who can bless.  Priests bless by being God’s representative.    Yet,  here is Elizabeth blessing Mary.    For Luke to write this down at all was amazing!    This is an amazing statement of faith from Elizabeth.   We certainly know that she had a tremendous faith in God. 

 

Prayer:   Divine Healer,  move through every part of our bodies and our minds dissolving all feelings, thoughts, and patterns of frustration, irritation, and aggravation so that we can turn our frustrations into inspiration and enthusiastic action.  Help to steer us in the direction where our actions will become actualize so that we can share the love and joy  of Christ with others this day.  Amen. 

Many blessings!