Visitation
A celebration of JOY
A feast that celebrates the encounter of two persons (or two women). It is a feast that exhorts an ordinary event of the human-life. If we consider JOY as a very natural and earthly thing, it is an extremely earthly or natural feast.
Two women are happy about God’s blessing in their lives. Their blessings are unique and singular; they rejoice in their blessing. But that special blessing is not getting into their head (no pride or arrogance); its leads to service and hospitality for the other. And more importantly, they are able to find the joy in the blessing of the other. There is no comparison between them, but a pure joy. Thus visitation is the celebration of Joy.
It is true that these experiences of joy are not limited to Mary and Elizabeth, but many of us have similar experiences. Couples, friends, parents-children etc do celebrate their own joy and that of the other. Or people crying with the other is another example. It is as one of my professor says,
to adopt the other’s point of view, without ever leaving my own.
It’s very important to remain yourself. You don’t become the other. You are happy in your blessings (I find it not easy always) and happy for the blessing of the other.
May we discover the ordinariness of the feast; or the so-called “greatness” or “extra-ordinary” entangled with them.
