Mary’s Pregnancy

Mary grew up in an extended family. She would have been accustomed to women being pregnant and having children. Women would have had their babies in the home. There was a great intimacy around a girl’s experience of pregnancy. Modern women might experience it as a time of little privacy but Mary would likely have … Continue reading “Mary’s Pregnancy”

Midwife: To Stand With Life

Midwives ‘stand with’ women who are with child. Midwives guide women in bringing beautiful new life to birth. Elizabeth acts as a midwife to Mary of Nazareth. She guides her young cousin most especially in a spiritual way. One example is by Elizabeth receiving Mary and her baby with great joy. Mary, as any young … Continue reading “Midwife: To Stand With Life”

Pro-Life Christmas: Giving Birth

On this fourth Sunday in Advent we share in the lives of two women, Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, both soon to give birth to sons. In communion with them, we too feel an “infant in (our) womb leap for joy” and we too are “filled with the Spirit.” Together, we wonder “how does this … Continue reading “Pro-Life Christmas: Giving Birth”

Who or What Do We Cradle This Christmas?

Two life-giving women, Mary and Elizabeth, come together in this Sunday’s Gospel. They are cradling within and between themselves the power of life. They respond to each other from that power: “At the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” For Christmas to be a … Continue reading “Who or What Do We Cradle This Christmas?”