21/12/2023
โจ6๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐โจ
MARY AS THEOTOKOS (GOD-BEARER) / December 21st
As soon as the Archangel departed from Nazareth, Mary was no longer the same woman as before. She was radically transformed.
The first thing that the newly transformed Mary did was to embark on a journey, to go on a mission. The annunciation experience was too great to bear alone. She couldnt pass on this event not to share the good news. This life-changing event also inspired Mary to serve and be available for her elderly cousin, Elizabeth who despite her old age, was pregnant, likewise, through the grace of God.
The Angel didnโt command Mary to go to help her cousin Elizabeth. He didnโt even suggest that it would be a good thing for her to go. He just stated the fact that Elizabeth was pregnant and that was enough for Mary to spring into action.
Most of us take for granted that the journey Mary took to reach Elizabeth was a long and arduous journey. Many of us only focus on the spiritual side of Maryโs visit to Elizabeth but fail to appreciate the equally significant physical dimension of the visit.
Maryโs journey to visit Elizabeth covered a distance of between 128 and 160 kilometers. She took off from Nazareth, a Galilean city west of the Sea of Galilee and travelled to Ein Karem, the Judean village where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived. In Maryโs day, a person traveling by foot could cover about 32 kilometers per day. If Mary walked to Elizabethโs home, it would have taken her four to five days straight. If she accompanied a caravan, she would have arrived in about three days. Luke does not mention whether Mary may have gone on foot or as part of a caravan. We donโt know if she traveled alone or whether St. Joseph accompanied her, or SS. Anne or Joachim.
In any case, such a journey would have been dangerous, especially for a young girl alone. By embarking on this journey, Mary demonstrated her courage as well as her desire for confirmation of Godโs plan. She overcome any fear she may have had about surrendering to Godโs call on her life or facing the possible danger involved in confirming his will. Such complete surrender freed her to act in confidence.
At the sight of Elizabeth, Maryโs tiredness was turned to joy and greeted Elizabeth, very likely โshalom,โ which means peace in Hebrew. When Elizabeth heard Maryโs greetings, three joyful things happened: John the Baptist leaped in her womb, Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Spirit, and burst out saying:
โBlessed 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?
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken to her by the Lord.โ
Mary was able to bring incredible joy to Elizabeth and to the fetal John the Baptist, because she was bringing Christ. The Holy Spirit inspired Elizabeth to bless Mary among all women because of the blessed fruit of her womb and because of her faith that the Lordโs words to her would be fulfilled. In other words, she was blessed because of Jesus and because of her faith in her embryonic saviour and son.
In going to Ein Karim, Mary became the first missionary, the first bearer of the Good Newsโthe official term, theotokosโwhich is the first title accorded to her by mother church. Despite being pregnant with Jesus, the word incarnate (logos), in her womb, she journeys through the hill country to the town of Juda. English theologian John Saward refers to this image of Mary on her journey to Elizabeth as the โLogos carrying Virgin.โ[1] In this journey, Mary became the first disciple and missionary of the Logos (Word). Indeed she is the Theotokosโbearer of God in our world.
