Today the Church celebrates the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth...

 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Luke 1.39-45

Elizabeth recognising Mary was pregnant with Jesus made me think today... apart from our clerical collars, my wife and I are usually distinctive because of our bags - mine is pink, as I mentioned on Saturday. My wife's has Giannicola di Paolo's painting of the Annunciation on it (the bag looks like this).
 They're very recognisable - and make us very recognisable, even in a crowd. As we celebrate the Annunciation today, a couple of questions come to mind...

How am I recognised?

What makes me 'me'?




Some words (the Magnificat) from the Bible, to perhaps inspire prayer today:

1    My soul doth magnify the Lord :

and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

2    For he hath regarded :

the lowliness of his handmaiden.

3    For behold, from henceforth :

all generations shall call me blessed.

4    For he that is mighty hath magnified me :

and holy is his Name.

5    And his mercy is on them that fear him :

throughout all generations.

6    He hath shewed strength with his arm :

he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

7    He hath put down the mighty from their seat :

and hath exalted the humble and meek.

8    He hath filled the hungry with good things :

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

9    He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel :

as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

♫   And, that same text in a sung setting:     Magnificat (Brewer in D)