This beautiful story (so touchingly represented in one of the windows in TaizĂ©’s church of Reconciliation) is a comfort to all who grow up in faith.
In the beginning of Luke’s gospel there are some amazing encounters: here between Mary and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is the first in the gospel of Luke to be filled with the Spirit some of the ancient manuscripts of this text even ascribe the Magnificat (the song of Mary which follows this passage) to her. Not only Mary and Elizabeth meet, their sons have an encounter as well. John meets Jesus for the first time before he is born.
Sometimes when people grow up in faithful households they (like me) do not remember a time when they did not believe. They do not have a conversion experience or they cannot remember when they were first touched by the encounter with Jesus or God.
John also meets Jesus and responds to that encounter at a time in his life he will not remember but will radiate throughout his life. Simeon and Anna a chapter later meet Jesus at the other end of life: in very old age. All these encounters are equally precious.
20 December 2015
Lk. 1:39-45
This weekly blog on one of the lectionary readings is by Anne Claar Thomasson-Rosingh, Programme Leader for Lifelong Learning at Sarum College.
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