Zephaniah 3:14-18 / Luke 1:39-56
We would always like to be prepared for a visit by someone. In other words, we would like to be notified beforehand of the visit.
Part of the reason is that we want to tidy up the house so that it can be presentable and the visitor will complement us.
Another reason is that we want to know the purpose of the visit so that we can prepare ourselves for an appropriate response to the visitor.
Mary's visit to Elizabeth was a surprise and certainly unannounced, obviously due to the means of communication at that time.
Although it was unannounced and a surprise, yet it was a joyful and blessed moment for Mary and Elizabeth.
When the baby leapt in Elizabeth's womb it also confirmed for Mary what the angel Gabriel had told her at the Annunciation.
Today as we begin the triduum in preparation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, it may be of no coincidence that we also celebrated the feast of the Visitation.
Mary comes to visit us and as we gather in prayer, may she also pray for us that our hearts will also leap with joy that the promises made to us by Jesus will be fulfilled.
Let us put our anxieties and worries into the hands of the Lord, and let us rejoice and exalt with all our heart.
As the 1st reading puts it: The Lord your God is in your midst; a victorious warrior. He will exalt with joy over you, He will renew you with His love; He will dance with shouts of you for you, as on a day of festival.
Indeed, we must rejoice and exalt with Mary, and may our hearts leap for joy.