Saint Elizabeth
Feast 5th November
Patronage: Pregnant mothers and mothers
A personal favourite of mine is dear Saint Elizabeth, cousin to Our Lady.
How blessed was Saint Elizabeth to be one of the first to know that Mary was the Mother of God. What an honour.
The event of ‘The Visitation’ is remembered and reflected upon in the joyful mysteries, of the Holy Rosary. This sacred and holy event is specially and specifically placed in the Holy Bible, for no coincidences occur in the bible, its importance should not be overlooked.
Although not too much is known about Saint Elizabeth’s life we do understand that she must have been a beautiful soul. Kind and nurturing to be given the gift of her son St John the Baptist to raise in the faith. I like to ponder St Elizabeth’s humble life; her significance, her relationship with Our Lady and her adoration of God.
Saint Elizabeth was the wife of priest Zachary. Zachary had a vision from an angel telling them they were to have a son and to name him John, even though Elizabeth was beyond her child-bearing years. Zachary doubted this. He was then struck mute until the birth of his son. Mary visited Elizabeth to share with her the news her pregnancy. Mary spoke the praise known as ‘the Magnificat’. The pair shared a special moment. Just how blessed was st Elizabeth to have this grace filled moment. Saint Luke describes Elizabeth as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,” (2).
Elizabeth was recorded as saying “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” (“Lives of Saints”, Published by John J. Crawley & co, cited in source 2).
What a beautiful image and role play one can imagine through this quotation of Saint Elizabeth greeting Our Lady, the mother of God. Pure, miraculous and gifts from God.
Saint Elizabeth, pray for us.
Sources:
1 http://www.catholic.org/saints/
2 http://catholicgene.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/feast-day-saint-elizabeth/
Originally posted 2014-10-28 02:32:01.