by Rev. Herbert Nichols

Are you a picture person or a drama person? A picture person is someone who views the events of life as isolated snapshots, like a sunset over the harbor, or the crest of new fallen snow. It’s a still life; while a drama person is one involved in the action and continuity of life and its relationships.

Today’s gospel is a follow-up, a continuity, from that which we heard earlier in Advent. Gabriel announced the conception of Jesus, and went on to tell of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Immediately setting out after receiving these extraordinary messages, Mary wants to do something ordinary. She wants to help her older cousin. Certainly not all of Mary’s questions had been answered, her wedding plans to Joseph, and how to tell her parents, her reputation in the community, but for now, all those things would have to wait, Elizabeth’s need was Mary’s first priority.

As Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s, the greeting she receives is no less startling than the one she received from Gabriel: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb." How did Elizabeth know about Mary’s pregnancy? Had Gabriel told Zachary?

Listen to Elizabeth as she continues: Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? How could it be that Elizabeth knew that Mary was carrying in her womb the Lord God, Himself?

The heart of the gospel; the heart of faith in which Mary and Elizabeth both believe, is that nothing is impossible for God. In a world corrupted by cynicism and despair, violence and greed, cruelty and hatred; God’s Word shatters the darkness of sin penetrating the womb of a virgin and a barren woman grown round with child.

As we reflect on these mysteries we might think about the impossibilities we yearn for in our own lives. Are these impossibilities which might bring us true happiness; part of God’s plan for us or of our own willingness. Can we turn our impossibilities over to God knowing that indeed in God’s own time and God’s own way all things are possible.

As Mary and Elizabeth entered the house, the two began the normal things involved in preparing for a childbirth. It is after all in the ordinary test of relevance and reality that we find the meaning of the extraordinary. The same is true with our mission in life. It is not so much to go on exotic and extraordinary pilgrimages, though those certainly have value for those who can do them.

Since life is a journey, a destination toward which we are proceeding, then we might want to think about some of the valuables we might take along. Perhaps it might be a companion, a confidant, a trusting friend with whom we can share our life experiences. All too many risk the foolishness of going it alone.

The Bible tells us clearly that we have been made in the image and likeness of God. But why is it so difficult for us to understand and accept that concept? Phrase it another way. Does God see us in His own image and likeness? Does God see a mirror image of Himself in each and every one of us?

The Bible clearly answers: Yes! It’s not that God’s mirror is foggy or cloudy. God’s vision is perfect. It’s our vision that is imperfect. We all sin. We all fall short from time to time. The important question is whether we will survive those falling shorts. To survive our sins we must be willing to acknowledge them for what they are, sins.

Spirituality’s constant emphasis on self-knowledge and the acceptance of one’s own imperfections has not changed through the eons. Emphasis is always and continuously on self-knowledge -- knowing one’s self and honestly accepting one’s own imperfections.

Once we begin to see ourselves as we really are, then the defenses that deceive us begin to fall away. Vigilance and attention help us to find the Messiah. We begin to see more clearly in the mirror in which Jesus sees Himself.

The Incarnation is not just a celebration of Jesus taking a human body 2,000 years ago, but that He took the body of humanity, each and every one of us, for all eternity. That is what we celebrate in every Eucharist; a celebration which infuses the ordinary things of every day life with love.