READ Lk 1:39-56 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE GOSPEL
UNDERSTAND | By Father Greg Friedman, OFM Many science-fiction movies today portray a bleak picture of the future. Perhaps that’s because we live in a time of serious threats to our well-being, from COVID-19 to global warming and random violence. Christians seek to be people of hope. Today we turn to a key figure in our salvation story for that hope. We celebrate our Catholic belief that Mary, when her earthly life was ended, was taken body and soul into heaven to share in the grace of the Resurrection of Christ her son. Besides celebrating Mary, this feast also holds a promise of hope for each of us. In today’s second reading, Saint Paul tells us that the members of the Body of Christ will share in his Resurrection at the end of time, when death itself will be destroyed. Meanwhile, we live with that promise. God gives us the power to live our lives now in a new way. Mary’s “Magnificat” grounds that promise in day-to-day living. She proclaims the wonderful things God has done—and will do—for her. But not only for Mary, but “for those who fear God in every generation." May we imitate Mary in the way we live our earthly lives—in the hope of future resurrection, but also in the assurance that God is with us here and now—a God who cares for the poor, lifts up the lowly, and liberates each one of us to live in hope!