The account of the visitation in St. Luke’s Gospel culminates in Elizabeth’s proclamation that Mary is blessed because she has put her faith in what the Lord has said to her. Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, who herself was pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth’s greeting gave complete confirmation to all that Mary had experienced. As their understanding of what was taking place increased, the foundation for their acceptance of the blessing bestowed upon them was a total dependence on God’s faithfulness to what had been promised.
It’s not always easy for us to keep our promises and resolutions. Sometimes, even with the best will in the world, we can fail to live out something that we signed up to. God in Christ has shown us what perfect faithfulness looks like. In the offering of His body, in the womb of Mary and on the cross, Christ has made us a holy people, once and for all. We may make mistakes; we may forget our resolutions and even break our promises; but God never does. We may struggle, but God is always faithful. God is a God of new beginnings and invites us to renew our efforts at discipleship over and over again, calling us to believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we await the great celebration of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem we simply thank God, with Mary and Elizabeth, for the promises made to them about Jesus, which are full of hope for each one of us.