FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BVM AND OUR INTERPERSONAL VISITS............

At the end of the month of May, we celebrate the Marian liturgical Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It commemorates the Blessed Mother's familial visit to her cousin Elizabeth, a three month visit while they were pregnant with John the Baptist and the Christ Child. Mary's visit to Elizabeth was an act of love and care for her relative and a prophetic sign of the prophetic role John the Baptist in Elizabeth's womb would play in the fulfilling final heralding of the coming of the Messiah. Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth started me to thinking bout the visitations all of us are called on by family ties, friendship, and charity, to make in fulfilling our roles as Catholc-Christian disciples and compassionate human beings. uring the past few months I hav gained a renewed insight into the priority our personal visitations have in the lves of the ill,infirm, alienated, disabled, or marginalized. I am forever grateful to the persons who care enough to take some of their precious time and come to visit me during this period of involuntary exile; lifting the veil of detachment and absence from the priestly ministry I know I should b carrying out. And I am not alone in valuing the care and concern other persons show by visiting the shut in, or those in hospitals, homes, and other health care residences, where they are removed from wholstic daily interaction with the wider world. On this Feast of the Visitation, discern who you can make a personl visit to coming days to affirm and edify them in he knowledge they are not forgoten, nor are they diminshed in the memory of others, left to cope with whatever reality they endure not on their own, but maintain the support and solidarity of others; just as Mary showed care and compassion for Elizabeth and recieved an abundance of grace in return............Fr. Troy