By Cliff Garvey

Let’s assume that we are all mystics. When we pray, angels appear. They give us messages about the future. God has plans for us, the angels say, and we say back: “Okay, Lord, I’m in.” What’s next? Who do we tell? What do we do? Where do we go? In Luke’s Gospel, we learn that an angel tells the Virgin Mary that she is singularly blessed. She is chosen by God to conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Her son will be named Jesus. He will be the savior of the world. The angel also tells Mary that her much older cousin, Elizabeth, is also pregnant (See Luke 1:26-38). Mary thinks that Elizabeth might have some insight into what’s happening. So, Mary decides to visit her. In the Gospel of Luke (1:39-45), we read this account of the Visitation:

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 heart Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most 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.”

Clearly, Elizabeth and her unborn baby know something. They know that Mary is especially blessed. They know that Mary’s unborn child is the Lord. They know that Mary believes in the prophecy that is revealed to her by the angel. But Luke does not tell us how Elizabeth knows these things. Put simply, Mary and Elizabeth have faith. They believe. They believe in God. They believe in God’s plan for their lives. They believe in God’s plan for the salvation of the world. And they embrace it. They are true disciples, true servants of the Lord, and truly joyful givers of the perfect gift of their freedom back to God.

Now let’s consider the miraculous nature of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Luke tells us matter-of-factly that Mary sets out on a journey. She is the first Christian pilgrim. She is the first Christian evangelist. Luke also tells us that Mary travels in haste to see Elizabeth. But he does not tell us that this is a difficult journey. The distance between Nazareth and the hill country of Judah is at least eighty miles. Mary is pregnant. She walks the whole way. It takes at least four days!

Luke then tells us that Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit; that her baby leaps in her womb; and that she knows Mary is the mother of the Son of God. Scripture scholars tell us that Elizabeth’s words carry profound historical and spiritual meanings. In Luke’s Gospel, Elizabeth says: “How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me (Luke 1:43)?” Elizabeth’s greeting confirms the angel’s message. Mary is the mother of a new king, descended from David, destined to liberate God’s chosen people, and destined to liberated them from the darkness of sin and death.

According to the traditions of ancient Israel, the king’s mother, not the king’s wife, becomes the true queen. The king’s mother, the queen mother, is afforded special honor, respect, and responsibility. The queen mother serves as advocate for the people. The queen mother hears their petitions for special favors. The queen mother presents these petitions to her son, the king. Mary’s role in our lives is thus revealed.

As the mother of Christ, King of Heaven and Earth, Mary is the Queen of Heaven. She prays for us. She pleads on our behalf. She carries our prayers and petitions, our hopes and dreams, our trials and tribulations; and she presents them to her son, Jesus, our Lord and Savior. The clarity and significance of Mary’s queenship is breathtaking. We now approach the climax of our journey with Mary. After listening to Elizabeth’s miraculous greeting, Mary begins to sing:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day, all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name (Luke 1:46-50).

With these words, Mary expresses her faith and love for God. She understands the true nature of the human condition. She appreciates our smallness, our weakness, and our desperate poverty. She knows what God has done for her and what God can do for those who believe in him. Mary then praises God and explains in more detail what he does for his people. She sings:

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever (Luke 1:50-55).

Mary’s song reminds us that all good things depend on God’s grace — not on us, not on what we do, not on what we plan, not on what we want, and not on what we expect. Mary’s song reminds us that all good things depend on God’s love for us; on God’s boundless gift of mercy. God knows that we are small, we are broken, and we are all sinners. But because God loves us so much, he never tires of being merciful to us. And it’s not just about forgiveness.

God’s mercy is a timeless tapestry of love, compassion, forgiveness, and relief from the suffering that comes with being broken and weak. God’s mercy is endless, everlasting, and timeless. It transcends all justice and judgement. God’s mercy is tangible: He lives among us. He walks among us. He suffers with us. He dies with us. He will arise with us on the Last Day. And God’s mercy builds on itself. When we seek and receive God’s mercy through prayer, sacrament, and good works, we build bridges across oceans of despair, discouragement, and disagreement. We build stairways that lead to heaven. The lowly handmaid of the Lord knows this is true. Our Blessed Mother knows this is true. The Queen of Heaven knows this is true. And so, Mary sings:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day, all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever (Luke 1:46-55).

As Mary sings, so we cry out: Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, pray for us! Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us!

About the Author & Presenter

Cliff Garvey is a co-founder of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary College, and the Catholic University of America. Cliff is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as Associate Minister of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts where his ministry focuses on adult faith formation. Thank you for listening to Mary’s Song, Part 2. These audio recordings are produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. For more information about the Assisi Project: A Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit and our ministries for adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Cliff at cgarvey@assisiproject.com. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

Listen: The Assisi Project Podcast: Mary’s Song, Part 1

ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. All are welcome to support our ministry via PayPal or AmazonSmile (links below); or by sending a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. For more information about the Assisi Project and our upcoming opportunities for formation, prayer, and pilgrimage, please contact Cliff Garvey at cgarvey@assisiproject.com. May the Lord give you peace!