Mother Suzanne reflects on the powerful encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, two women in impossible pregnancies whose faith transformed shame into songs of praise and defiance. Through their story, we are challenged to consider what leaps for joy within us and whether we can trust that God is with us, even in our most difficult circumstances.

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                             Luke 1:39-45   

 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."

Artwork: The Embrace of Elizabeth and Mary, St. George Church, Kurbinovo, Macedonia