(To hear this reflection, read by Ever, click below.)
We love today’s Feast of the Visitation for a number of reasons:
- The sheer excitement of this moment in salvation history, when Mary “set off in haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
- The stunning moment of John the Baptist leaping in Elizabeth’s womb at the sound of Mary’s greeting.
- The prelude to this coming Sunday’s Feast of Pentecost, as we hear Elizabeth, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” cry out, “Most blessed are you among women…”
- The inexpressible beauty of Mary’s Magnificat, proclaimed in today’s Gospel reading.
Each of these moments provides enough material for a robust meditation. And even one glance at these Visitation paintings over many centuries (Pinterest) are enough to remind us that this was a significant turning point in all of history.
With this inspiring backdrop, our own upcoming summer visits with friends and family may seem inconsequential. Is our family’s humble hospitality—the “crown of our Trinity House,” Hospitality & Service—in any way connected with the Visitation?
The answer may surprise you. But first, consider the stark backdrop:
- We host less and less each year, according to studies.
- The pandemic accelerated this trend—rendering us even more distant from our neighbors, friends, and family.
- With soaring food and gas costs, we have yet another rationalization to think that visiting and hosting is “impractical.”
We all get this. Most families have gotten out of practice when it comes to visiting or hosting friends for a drink, cook-out, or game night. Busy and overcommitted, our hospitality muscles have atrophied. As we’ve prioritized other things (more resume-building extracurriculars, more work, more media…), hospitality has slipped to the bottom as an “extra.”
But if that describes our family, then we need to admit that we’re missing out. After all, in Christian families who host regularly, the children are more likely to keep the faith as adults, according to a recent Barna study. In such homes, the kids see the faith lived out in a relevant way, serving others in a way that meets real needs and creates community.
Which brings us back to the Visitation. As we seek to do more hosting and visiting this summer, let’s try to take the Visitation to heart in some practical ways:
- When you host, consider how Elizabeth opened her home to Mary. In the little ways we prepare for our guests, we can ask the Lord for his grace.
- When you visit, consider how Mary received Elizabeth’s hospitality. For many, it’s not easy to be on the receiving end—but that’s part of the beauty of such encounters.
- Whether you’re hosting or visiting, consider how Mary and Elizabeth’s encounter was life-changing. Rather than going on auto-pilot, invite the Holy Spirit into these visits, being attentive to His transforming power.
“What makes a ‘visitation’ different from a simple visit?” the Magnificat monthly devotional asks in reference to today’s feast.
“A visitation carries with it a special meaning, a purpose of bestowing something exceptional. In the Visitation, that meaning is not a message but rather the exceptional presence of the Son—the Savior—she carries within her womb,” the Magnificat continues.
In the weeks and months ahead, may we be open to the Holy Spirit, whose grace can transform our simple visits into visitations of special meaning!
Come, Holy Spirit!
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Did you miss last week’s news about going to Rome? We’re so grateful to the many Heaven in Your Home Letters subscribers who have already responded with their assurance of prayers for us, prayer intentions (for us to lift up at special shrines in Rome), and generous contributions to strengthen the Trinity House ministry! Thanks to so many, we’ve already raise nearly 60% of our $30,000 goal! Make your gift of $10, $20, $50, $100, or more today!
> Here’s another way to think about hosting: “[God] is not hospitable out of necessity; rather, his hospitality expresses the joy and happiness that he is. The Triune God of Jesus Christ is hospitably self-giving by nature” (The Grace and Call of Hospitality, by Fr. John Navone, S.J., at www.catholicculture.org).
> In The ABCs of Hospitality, Emily Stimpson Chapman (St. Paul Center) helps us to see the difference between hospitality and entertaining. She writes, “A person who is entertaining might serve the same food as someone practicing hospitality. Their house might be just as clean, their booze just as good, and their garden just as lovely under fairy lights. But the person entertaining is focused on impressing people. The person exercising hospitality is focused on loving people. The person entertaining is focused on themselves. The person exercising hospitality is focused on others.”
> For those in the Diocese of Arlington, there’s still time to sign up for the upcoming 2022 Diocesan Family Festival on Sat. June 11, 4-8:30 PM, in Front Royal. Learn more and sign up here.
> Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 18, at 6:30 pm for our next Heaven in Your Home Gathering at St. John’s in Leesburg, when we’ll welcome special guests Chris and Jodi St. George! Learn more about the Gatherings—a casual evening for the whole family—here, and we hope to see you soon!
“The Heaven in Your Home Gatherings are an invaluable resource for helping families. Parents and children learn how to serve one another and others in their journey together through life to union with God. Thank you for this ministry!”
– Lynda Rozell, Catholic travel blogger at tincanpilgrim.com and author of Journeys with a Tin Can Pilgrim, available at Amazon here.
