Christ bearing Mi 5:1-4; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45 The Gospel for this last Sunday of Advent is one of the most remarkable scenes in the Bible and sets the tone for both Advent and Christmas (rapidly approaching this Saturday). Luke’s Gospel, which the lectionary for this liturgical year draws on, is noted for its vivid narratives. The visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, which we hear today, is one of the best. First of all, it is one of the rare, if not unparalleled, scenes in the entire Bible when two women hold center stage. Luke will also tell the story of Mary and Martha, but either their brother Lazarus or Jesus himself shares the scene. Here, two adult women alone come together. On the surface, it is a story many families have experienced. Elizabeth is beyond the age of childbearing so her pregnancy could be difficult. Mary, her cousin, even though she, too, is pregnant, comes to stay with her relative and help her during the pregnancy. She remains with Elizabeth for three months before returning to her own home in Nazareth, some 90 miles away. So far, it is a sweet domestic story of familial kindness shown between a young woman and her older relative. But, of course, there is much more. At the beginning of his Gospel account, Luke has already introduced us to these two remarkable women and the profound impact of their pregnancies. Elizabeth is old and barren, but, through the message of an angel, she learns she is to bear a son who will be the last of the prophets, John the Baptist, the very one to herald the coming of the Christ, the redeemer of Israel. She is married to Zachary, a priest at the Jerusalem temple. Together, their sturdy piety, along with that of other characters in Luke’s account — the shepherds, the temple prophets Anna and Simeon — shows Judaism at its best. They are deeply attuned to God’s will, frequenting the temple and rejoicing at the extraordinary news of the Messiah’s birth. Luke, in fact, seems to evoke the memory of another couple so key to Israel’s history, Sarah and Abraham. Like Elizabeth, Sarah is also old and barren but unexpectedly becomes a bearer of new life. “Nothing is impossible with God,” the comment that the angel Gabriel makes about Elizabeth’s pregnancy, is identical to the words of the mysterious visitor to Abraham’s tent announcing the pregnancy of Sarah in Genesis. The other exquisite woman in this scene is Mary of Nazareth. Luke lingers over the announcement of her pregnancy. Her child will be the one Israel has longed for, the anointed one, the Messiah, the one who would fulfill the dreams of Israel for peace and joy. Luke presents Mary as one who listens carefully to God’s word brought to her through the angel. She ponders it and wonders about it and then says yes. “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.” In Elizabeth’s house, Mary will sing her Magnificat, a hymn of a prophet, echoing the strong sense of justice and compassion that her son would exemplify in the body of Luke’s Gospel. The most artful moment of the Visitation scene comes at the moment the two women meet, each bearing in their womb children of destiny. At Mary’s greeting, the child in Elizabeth’s womb “leaped for joy.” “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me,” Elizabeth says. “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” The meaning of Advent and the anticipation of Christmas are clear in this beautiful Gospel scene. Two women listen attentively to God’s word, even when it comes unexpectedly. Two women bear children, one a prophet preparing the way for the Christ; the other, wondrously, making the Lord of life present in her own body. One woman embodies the spirit of Advent; the other effects the reality of Christmas. At the same time, both women reveal the heart of what it means to be a Christian — believing God’s Word, bringing the presence of that Word, Jesus himself, into every circumstance of our lives.
About the Author Donald Senior was president emeritus, chancellor and professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union, 5401 S. Cornell Ave., until his death on Nov. 8, 2022.