Today, the church celebrates the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, and we will soon celebrate Pentecost, the bestowal of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. While these two observances are at opposite ends of Jesus’ life—one before his birth, the other after his ascension—their adjacency in the liturgical calendar is much more appropriate than it seems.
In the Gospel of Luke, the Holy Spirit is first mentioned in the context of John the Baptist; “…even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:15). When Mary asks how she, a virgin, can conceive, Gabriel points to the Holy Spirit, as well as “the power of the Most High,” as the agents of this miracle (Luke 1:35). Most significantly for this holy day, Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth causes the latter to be “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and the unborn John the Baptist “[leaps] in her womb” (Luke 1:41). The voice of this young, unwed, relatively powerless woman invokes a member of the Trinity, which proceeds to inspire Elizabeth—Elizabeth, whose barrenness has been transformed into miraculous fertility. The Spirit moves Elizabeth to proclaim Mary’s blessedness to her; “…blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Luke 1:45).
Of course, these are not the only two Biblical women who experience miraculous pregnancies. Sarah, the original matriarch, mires herself in serious trouble by failing to believe that she could bear a child in her old age, but God delivers on the promise of a son. The lectionary for today includes the poem of praise spoken by Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 (which, of course, is strikingly similar to Mary’s Magnificat.) Hannah, while praying fervently for a child, is scolded and dismissed by Eli, the priest, as a drunkard—much as the disciples will be upon receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost! One might argue that the Holy Spirit fills her with faith, which results in a prayer so passionate, whole and unbridled as to make her seem intoxicated, and then with grateful joy, which results in an exultant song of praise.
Like Hannah, Mary raises her voice to God, but, unlike Hannah’s pregnancy, Mary’s will make life significantly more difficult than it otherwise would have been. For one thing, it will be rather startling to her future husband. Yet, Elizabeth recognizes God working through Mary, who, while obedient, showed some trepidation at first. Elizabeth acts as a mirror for Mary, helping her to be aware of her blessedness, of the Spirit’s presence with her. Being reminded this, Mary turns the fear that Gabriel recognized (v. 30) into triumphant thankfulness. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” she says (vv. 46-47). Her soul and spirit, the most essential and godly parts of her, are celebrating, and she gives attention and voice to them.
Mary now views the challenge ahead as a gift, knowing that those through whom God works are indeed, as Gabriel called her, “favored.” As Hannah did, Mary extols God’s quality of lifting up the lowly while frustrating pride and greed. She knows she is a servant, and, as Elizabeth has helped illuminate, the opportunity to serve is wonderful—terrifying though it may be. In the story of the Visitation, the Holy Spirit brings life into the wombs of two women, then brings them together so that they may encourage and support each other in God.
On Sunday, when we celebrate the Pentecost, we will do well to note that the Holy Spirit, the person of the Trinity who both gives Christ and is given by Him, is not just any gift. This is the gift of a challenge. Each of us is blessed and chosen by the Spirit in different ways, and we are called, like mothers, to nourish and to bear our contributions to the world. We are also called to look for the Spirit in others—to act more like Elizabeth than Eli—supporting each other so that we may rise to this gift-of-challenge with gratitude over fear.
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