In the story of the Visitation, we see Mary determinedly “setting out” in “haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant after being “barren” for many years. It’s important to note that “barrenness” (or infertility) is a condition that would have brought Elizabeth much suffering in a world where God’s favor and a woman’s worth were believed to be evidenced in the ability to bear multiple children. Indeed, even to this day, in many parts of our world and in the Catholic Church, a woman’s primary vocation is seen as motherhood – whether physical or spiritual – and her worth is often bound-up in how she uses, or does not use, her sexuality.
Yet in the story of the Visitation, we witness an encounter between two women who do not fit these definitions of “womanhood.” Instead, we see a young girl, pregnant out of wedlock, going to visit her older female cousin who is now pregnant after suffering from infertility and social rejection. Remarkably, in a world that does not recognize them, they recognize the divine within each other and themselves.
How often do we celebrate
"the ability to recognize the divine
within each other and ourselves"?
--Pearl Maria Barros, Th.D.
Image source: Timothy Schmalz, Visitation - Fruit of thy Womb, https://www.sculpturebytps.com/portfolio_page/visitation-fruit-of-thy-womb/
Quotation source
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