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Mary, Elizabeth, and Me

17/12/2021

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A Reflection on the Gospel for December 19th, 2021:
​Fourth Sunday of Advent


Luke
1.39-45


Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
​
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Who is “she”
 exactly? In the last sentence of this passage we read, “... blessed is she who believed.” Who is this she? Grammaristas would be quick to tell me that this pronoun refers to none other than Mary. However, I’m not aiming for the technical. I’m leaning towards the reflective. I propose that there are three “shes” to whom St. Luke is referring: Mary, Elizabeth, and me!


Yes, first and foremost, the reference is to Mary. After all, where would we all be if Mary had not given that initial “Yes!” Mary’s openness to the plan God set forth for her is the epitome of belief. She questions the Angel Gabriel, yet she has faith. She believes in a steadfast God who will carry her through the series of events that are set off by her simple yes – events that will change not only Mary’s world but the world.


Second, “she” references Elizabeth. After all, she who was said to be barren was now carrying a child, in her old age. And said child leapt in her womb when Mary arrived! If anyone was to be blessed because of her belief in a listening God, Elizabeth is definitely a fine example.


And third, “she” means me – literally because I am a she who has experienced a sense of belonging in my faith journey that has brought me to believe in the same steadfast and listening God of Mary and Elizabeth. At the same time I have discovered a God who is also so much more, which only strengthens my belief. Belief is not necessarily tangible. Sometimes you don’t know you have it, until you do. Years ago I met a young woman who, on the day we met, while sharing her faith story emphatically, said over and over, “You just have to believe!!!” She has continually and consistently believed that everything God has promised to her will come to be. This she has become a dear friend and reminds me daily to believe.


While the aforementioned are specific shes, St. Luke also refers to all who have come to believe in the Christ Child soon to be once again in our midst. Mary, Elizabeth, and me (hopefully!) witness expectant belief to all. We show the joy and transformative power of knowing and encountering Christ even before Christ is physically present with us. It is this expectant belief that we are called into in the season of Advent. This time of year can be a tsunami of busyness, dictated by what the world and society believe this time of year is about. Yet the Church, in her wisdom, provides us with time to prepare expectant hearts and minds to welcome the Christ Child who changes our world, to expect that everything God has said He will do, He will do because blessed are we who believe.




Aurea Sadi

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2 Comments
Alana
17/12/2021 07:52:08 am

Thank you Aurea. Beautiful. Blessed is she. And blessed am I. So grateful for all you beautiful sisters in Christ in this Ora faith family for sharing your expectant belief with all of us. May we all wait with joyful anticipation and expectant belief for Emmanuel, Christ with us - who was, is, and is to come. Amen! 😊🙏🏻💕xo

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Lisa Matheson
18/12/2021 08:33:54 am

Such a beautiful and informative reflection Aurea. I hadn't thought about the "she" reference quite like that before - only assuming it meant Mary. But I see that there is a whole other layer of meaning in it. I am also struck by the last line where you said "...blessed are we who believe." Yes! For me, this blessing comes in the form of Hope. A hope I never had before encountering Jesus. A hope in things to come, whether seen or unseen, whether in this world or the next. Thank you Aurea!

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