Mother on a Mission

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

31 May 2018

First reading                                                                      Zephaniah 3:14-18
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.

Gospel                                                                    Luke 1:39-56

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 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 it 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 fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

Last Saturday, our rosary group held its annual Flores de Maria in the parish. We have been doing this for the past 8 years. As I was leading in the singing, I saw a number of parishioners - young, old, female, male, Filipino, British, etc.- making their way to Our Lady's altar bringing flowers to her. I looked at the image of Our Lady and she seemed pleased to see her children coming together to honor her. 

During the first few days of this Marian month, my daughter Chiara drew this image of Mary adorned with flowers (see top picture).  We have been telling her stories of how in the Philippines, people (children especially) would flock to church every day in May to offer flowers to Mary. In a way, this picture captures who Mary is in our hearts: someone who is valued, respected, and loved.

Mary has been with us through our journey as individuals and as a Church. Only recently, Pope Francis instituted a new feast: Mary, Mother of the Church, held on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday. Today's Gospel tells us how Mary acted as Mother of God's People: reaching out to those in need to share with them the Good News, Jesus Himself!

As we bring May to a close, let us ask Mama Mary to help us be on the go too. Let our floral offering call us to be missionaries in our own 'fields', be it at home, work or in a foreign land. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Mary to be our mother. Inspired by her charity and supported by her prayers, make us Your faithful followers. Amen.