"Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" - Luke 1:42-43


Question:  In St. Luke's Gospel, who is the first human to identify the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God? 

Answer:  St Elizabeth

November 5 is the feast day of St. Elizabeth, the cousin of the Mother of God and the mother of St. John the Baptist.  Her faith underwent serious trials in life.  She was barren and "advanced in years" (Luke 1:7).  We are unsure how long she lived, but if she lived long enough then she also suffered the trial of her son's martyrdom.  She's the first woman whose pregnancy was foretold by St. Gabriel but for some reason he appeared to her husband instead of her (Luke 1:11-12).  After St. Gabriel announces the coming of the Messiah, the Blessed Virgin Mary visited St. Elizabeth.  It was no easy journey and some scholars believe this trip from Nazareth to the area of Judah was about 80 miles.  There the still pregnant St. Elizabeth greets her by saying what is now part of the "Hail Mary" prayer.  Then they stayed together for 3 more months.

This passage is rich in Marian devotion.  The fetus of St. John the Baptist leaps in the womb at the sound of the Mother of God's voice (Luke 1:44).  St. Elizabeth honors her as the "Mother of my Lord".  There are some Christian denominations that belittle devotion to the Mother of God, but may we never do so.  By the intercessions of St. Elizabeth may we learn to love our mother and queen, so that we also leap for joy in our hearts at the thought of meeting her in Heaven.  Let us be excited for the opportunity after we enter Eternal Paradise to honor her one day at her throne with the words "blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb". 

Yesterday was the birthday of one of my dear friends from St. Gerard Parish.  I hope she had a great day and I hope to see her sometime when I am home in Lansing.  Happy birthday Ms. Potter thanks for being a great friend!

Happy Birthday Ms. Potter!!

On my day off I had to go to the verizon store and file a claim to get a new phone.  After multiple drops my cell phone isn't working properly but hopefully today my new one will come.  I had a good night hanging out with Amanda and doing homework while watching the Yankees win the World Series.  I'm not much of a fan of baseball, but I have been following the World Series since the Yankees were in it.  I am happy for the city of New York that they won.  Special prayers tonight for my brother who is working in New York City. 

Song of the day:  "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

"Let's here it for New York"