Mary
“We’re almost there,” is the phrase I repeated under my breathe while climbing up one of the steepest hills I’ve ever had to conquer. What was on top? The Visitation Church, where Mary met with Elizabeth. They were both pregnant, one with Jesus and the other with John the Baptist. The church is located in Ein Kerem, a charming hillside village in Jerusalem. It’s worth mentioning that “hillside” is an understatement. It felt like a gigantic mountain walking straight up. I was reminded how much stronger people must have been back then because I can’t imagine anyone pregnant today surviving that hike.
While in Israel, I was dragging my feet after walking 6 miles. When Mary and Jospeh left Nazareth to go to Jerusalem, they made a pit stop in Bethlehem to give birth. That means they walked nearly 95 miles in just four days. Imagine the endurance! Even if they were both riding donkeys, don’t be mistaken by thinking that trek was easy. People in the ancient world endured tough living. They were strong and physically fit.
I wonder, what about your holiday experience echos the journey that Mary took leading up to the birth of Christ? Jospeh was a construction worker and likely not wealthy. They were rejected strangers traveling in a foreign place. Mary gave birth in a feeding troth. Later, they were on the run from a mad- king trying to kill their newborn. It’s a scary, entertaining, and drama-filled story. If I had to guess, baby Jesus was likely screaming and crying the whole time. The experience was, in all likelihood, anything but tender and mild.
Mary visited Elizabeth in her home on that hillside because she was frightened about what lied ahead and needed comfort. Companionship from a trusted friend, especially one who’s going through something similar; that is the greatest source of comfort we can receive. If you have difficultly relating to Mary (a poor, pregnant, weary traveler) maybe you can be an “Elizabeth” to someone who is struggling.
There is no greater gift than to walk alongside someone in need. Physical strength is one thing, but mental strength is on a whole new level of difficulty. We need each other to get through, and that’s okay. That togetherness is what the Church is all about. No one should go through the struggles of life alone. If you don’t have an Elizabeth in your life, if you feel alone, know that God is always with you. As Mary reminds us, “God has come to help his child, for he remembers his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever (Luke 1:54-55).
Pr. Lucas McSurley
