22 Dec 2024
10 CommentsThe Visit: Hospitality, Humility, and Hope
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For 22 December 2024, The Fourth Sunday of Advent, based on Luke 1:39–45
(Luca della Robbia’s sublime ‘The Visitation’, dating from about 1445, from the church of San Giovanni Fuorcivitas in Pistoia. Photo by Lawrence Lew, OP)
In those days 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 leapt 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 leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Rose Schulte
23 December 2024 @ 1:33 am
Blessed Christmas to you, Beth. Thank you for that poignant reminder of who we are meant to be.
Donna
23 December 2024 @ 1:47 am
Thanks, Beth, for your very timely preaching! In the months ahead, may we all embrace one another and all people as gift.
Mary Ellen Green
23 December 2024 @ 1:48 am
Beautiful! Thank you, Beth.
patricia sullivan
23 December 2024 @ 2:32 am
Thank you Beth for a timely interpretation of this beautiful scripture.
Wishing you all the blessings of Christmas.
Sr. Peggy Devlin, OP
23 December 2024 @ 2:55 am
Beth — An adequate expression of gratitude escapes me when I reflect on your inspirational message. In particular, your portrait of our current cultural/political situation is spot on … indeed Pope Francis captures it. We suffer from “… anesthesia of the heart”. Simply THANK YOU!
Patricia Magee OP
23 December 2024 @ 4:28 am
Thanks you Beth for your wonderful preaching on a favorite scripture. Illuminating the contrast between these women’s unconditionally loving exchange and our current reality of exclusion, you invite us to encounter others as Mary and Elizabeth did- releasing the power of God’s empowering love. May it be so.
Connie Koch OP
23 December 2024 @ 6:56 am
Yes Beth! We are created to be with one another…
To be gift to one another…to encounter and create a living a loving welcome for All. I shall try to ponder and live out this Spirituality of Visitation you invite us to as an ongoing practice ! Amen and Thanks! Connie
Cecilia Hayes
23 December 2024 @ 8:25 am
Thank you Beth. No doubt You also are created to give gift to others. Mary and Elizabeth are two women I too love to ponder. Your words give me “food” to ponder on this Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Louise
23 December 2024 @ 12:47 pm
Beth, you articulate clearly exactly that which is deep in our hearts.
Sincere thanks
Kathleen Hebbeler
25 December 2024 @ 7:55 am
Thank you, Beth, as usual inspiring and hopeful!