Today I celebrate Mass for the fourth time this month with the Visitation gospel reading from St. Luke.
This is the gospel reading assigned for a Quinceañera Mass, when a young Mexican woman renews her baptismal promises and consecrates herself anew to the service of God.
Recalling the Visitation suits the occasion of a Quinceañera Mass perfectly.
The Blessed Mother showed the kind spirit of a Christian woman in thinking of her cousin and going to help her. The moment when Mary and Elizabeth met gave the world a beautiful, quiet sign of the coming of the Messiah, when St. John recognized Christ–womb-to-womb, so to speak. And the Blessed virgin expressed the heart of a prayerful quinceañera when she sang her Magnificat, glorifying God for His immeasurable goodness and generosity.
We give thanks that we have life. We give thanks that Christ has given us every reason to hope for eternal consolation. We give thanks that He chose us and made us His own. The Almighty has done great things for us. Holy is His name.
Father Mark,
So, the discussion in the Sacristy at 6:20 AM this morning (for 6:30 AM Mass) was whether or not the presence of Chirst at the meeting of Elizabeth and Mary, baptized the Baptizer, and whether or not that meant that the Baptizer was born without Original Sin (not conceived, born).
Now, I know you know two of the participants (the third was Fr. Augustine Lopez); and I imagine that you can pick out who put those thoughts forward.
Another thought emerged as well: there were seven (7) entities present, four (4) human, and three (3) divine. With this as the start of the day, one might well imagine that by the time 8:50 AM (for the 9:00 AM Mass) rolled around, the number of angels that could dance on the head of a pin might well have been the topic of discussion.
Then, agin, Rocky Mount, Virginia, is farm country. I imagine that most of your parishoners were out in the fields for an hour or two by the time we got started. I wonder if their Priest precedes them?
In God we trust.
LIH,
joe