Dear Friend, 

Reflection by Elizabeth Vacchiano

Going in Haste to Serve the Lord

The Church of the Visitation, designed by Antonio Barluzzi was completed in 1955 and is considered one of the most beautiful of all the Gospel sites of the Holy Land. It is a two – tiered church on a slope of a hill in Ein Karem. The church is built on the site of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s summer home. The trip Mary would have made from Nazareth to Ein Karem would have been about 90 miles.

Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., says Lent is a time of surrender, a “letting go of the things that keep us from God so that we can cling more resolutely to him. We have to shed our plans and our fears, and give way to God’s designs.” This is exactly what Mary did from the moment of her Fiat. When Mary gave her “yes” at the Annunciation her life became a Lenten journey to the Cross. One of her first journeys was going in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant and in her sixth month.

The three pillars of Lent, fasting, almsgiving and prayer, can be seen in Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth. Fasting, Mary probably did fast since it would be impossible to bring enough food for a 90-mile trip on foot! But we can also view her visit as a personal fast. Mary put aside any thoughts of herself and her pregnancy to help Elizabeth who was advanced in years and pregnant for the first time. Maybe we can make a personal fast from our phones or the internet so we can be more present to the people in our lives who may require more of our time or energy. Any fasting, food or otherwise should be filled with our love of Christ in order to grow closer to Him.

Almsgiving, Mary probably did not donate money or goods to the poor, but her actions of visiting Elizabeth is a witness to fraternal charity which is defined as the practice of charity with a love that recognizes another person as a child of God, and therefore as brother or sister in the Lord. The ancient Greek root of the word “alms” means mercy. We can imitate Mary by showing mercy, and love to others by volunteering at a food pantry or visiting a friend or family member who is sick or lonely.

Finally, prayer, Mary gives us the most beautiful prayer -- her Magnificat -- after she was greeted by her cousin Elizabeth. We too can pray like Mary – by surrendering our lives to God by attending Mass, going to Confession, praying the Rosary and by serving others through which we will develop a deep personal relationship with God and a clearer view of God’s desire for our life.

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Elizabeth Vacchiano is the Coordinator of Student and Administration Support Services for Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology.