Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
REFLECTION:
"For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy."
Do babies leap in the womb? Not sure if leap is correct, but tumble for sure.
Babies evoke tenderness. When we walk by a woman holding a baby we cannot avoid taking a second look at them and smile. Babies are fragile and cute. Our instinct is to protect them. Sometimes by hugging them, and sometimes by not touching because we are afraid to hurt them because they are so small.
A baby in the womb is even more fragile. When a woman is pregnant, we feel our bodies changing to allow the baby to grow inside of us. We feel the movements, kicks, and even hiccups these small human beings perform inside our wombs. (We also feel it when they squeeze our bladder and kidneys).
When we see a pregnant woman, those of us who have been pregnant at one time or another remember what it felt like to be pregnant. Sometimes we were so sick we could not get out of bed, and still did. And sometimes full of energy and enthusiasm for the upcoming arrival of our child that we would clean our home twice. We sympathize with the lady "carrying low", the one waddling and shuffling because she is in week 39, 40, 41 of her pregnancy. We can tell she is ready to meet her baby face to face. And she is tired. Very tired.
Imagine Elizabeth, already a woman considered having a geriatric pregnancy, also known as advanced maternal age. Meaning-- she was running more risks to her health because of her age. Not accounting for the risks for her own baby. Not being young meant she didn't have the energy a younger woman might have had. Domestic chores were probably many times harder for her.
Imagine Mary knowing this by seeing other older women pregnant and knowing her cousin needed help. Just by showing up at Elizabeth's, Mary's support was beyond welcome. And with John leaping for joy in her womb, what a revelation! the happiness that must have filled that whole household!
Imagine baby Jesus inside Mary's womb. Swimming, growing, feeding, waiting to be born. Soon He will be held by His Mother and foster Father. Still, before being born, He is already bringing joy to all who get close to His family on earth. He is coming soon!
“Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)
Salve Maria:
God bless you for writing the reflection.
This is great.
Simple and insightful.
Thanks.
Pax Christi