7 Lessons From the Visitation

The church celebrates the Feast of the Visitation on May 31, bringing to a conclusion the month devoted to our Blessed Mother. The account of Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-56) is reflected upon by Catholics in  the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, and I number it as one of my favorite scriptural accounts. Here are seven lessons the actions of Mary and Elizabeth in the Visitation have taught me.-1-Put a little pep in your step. Luke’s account of the Visitation opens with the following line: “During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste…” (Luke 1:39). The phrase that always jumps off the page at me is “in haste”. Mary went in haste to be of service to her cousin, Elizabeth, whom she had just found out was pregnant in her old age.Let’s consider a few things here: First, Mary is pregnant. Second, she didn’t jump in her SUV, stop at Dunkin Donuts for an Iced Coffee on the way and arrive a few hours later. More than likely she walked….over the hills….for hours, if not days. Third, Mary is pregnant. Ooops, I said that already….might be because I never did anything in haste when I was pregnant. In actuality, I don’t do much in haste when I am not pregnant.What is the lesson here? Mary was ready and willing to quickly provide service someone in need. She hopped right to it. She didn’t agonize over it, check her calendar, weigh the pros and cons, or pause to consider what might be in it for her – she went in haste to help. It’s a lesson that I, for one, am not learning in haste. Each time I hear this scripture I am more and more convicted that my attitude towards