Luke 1:39-56
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Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with her about three months 
​and then returned to her home.

​Today is the last day of the month of May, where we remember and in a special way pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in honor of her today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. The Visitation, which we just read, is where Mary goes "in haste" to the hill country to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. 

On a great day like today, it is only fitting to take some special time to reflect on Mary.

Elizabeth, realizing even at a difference that there is something special with Mary, knows that Jesus is with her and runs out to greet her. John, in the womb of his mother, notices the presence of Jesus as well, and we hear that he actually leaps in the womb of his mother. Elizabeth is truly convinced then, and lets out her praise and her prayer of thanksgiving that Mary is with her. 

After this, we hear Mary say some of the most beautiful words ever spoken in Scripture. This prayer that she prays, called the Magnificat, which means "[my soul] magnifies", is one of the most beautiful prayers even prayed and continued to be said each day in the Liturgy of the Hours.

At the heart of Mary's prayer is an insight into who she truly is: she is the one who magnifies, who brings into clearer vision, who God is. Right from the beginning, when Elizabeth's attention is on Mary, she points right to the "glory of God" and the "greatness of" her Savior, who of course is her Son. Mary gets a whole month devoted to her, and feast days throughout the whole year, not because of her own greatness but because she ceaselessly magnifies the Lord and points of all those who encounter her to her Son, our Savior. 

If you don't regularly have a chance to pray to Mary, begin that today. Take some time today to pray the rosary - the joyful mysteries, if you want, contain today's feast in them - and reflect on Mary's constant and fervent desire to magnify the Lord and point you to Him. Are you letting her help you there? Are you developing a relationship with your Mother, who knows you intimately and knows her Son, our Lord, better than anyone, and letting her help your spiritual life?

The other big reason we look to Mary, other than her role in leading us to her Son, is her witness of the Christian life. When she says that she magnifies the Lord, she gives us insight into who she is, and also into who we should be. As you pray for Mary's help and intercession today, ask her to help you look more like her, always pointing everyone you meet to Jesus and to His Glory. 

Our Lady, first among the saints, pray for us!

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant."

How often do you ask for the intercession and help of Mary? What are some steps you can take to grow your devotion to her?

Do you make sure to find ways to point those around you to Jesus? 

What about the way that Mary lived and prayed particularly inspires you?

Carve out time to pray with the Blessed Mother. Say a Hail Mary when you get stressed, and make time later today to say a Rosary. 

Think about Jesus as a friend. How do you picture Him? Think of something to do for Him as your friend to make Him smile. ​

Luke 9:11b-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.

As the Catholic Church universal joins together in celebration of one of the highest Feast Days of the Church’s calendar, Corpus Christi, we turn our attention to FOOD, something we all love! 
Years ago when I spent some time working in the food industry, our entire kitchen staff was often challenged to make gourmet meals out of the simplest everyday ingredients. Frequent special requests would lead us to combining frozen foods, fresh veggies, maybe a few left over steaks from the night before, the secret ingredient and then in no time presto… a beautiful dish for some hungry stomachs. These experiences taught me a lot, but the simple lesson was this…”the secret to a good meal is the love put into it.”
​
On this great Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Jesus reminds us that great meals can come from the simplest everyday ingredients. Bread and fish in the Gospel becomes an abundance of food for 5,000 hungry people. Bread and wine through the power of the Holy Spirit become truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass.

Think about this… a few ingredients offered with great love can become an incredible meal that feeds billions.
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Holy Mass is important beyond our understanding because Jesus, who is LOVE ITSELF, gives the totality of who He is so we can have the best food (the Eucharist); food that carries us to eternal life. Even though the ingredients might seem simple at Mass, know that because of His Love, we are present not only at the Cross, but partaking in a gourmet meal, a true foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet. Praise God for this gift!

"Five loaves and two fish are all we have."

Is your favorite food earthly or heavenly? Be honest!

Jesus promises eternal life for those who eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. Is there anything that keeps my from this great promise?

Where do I need to put more love into my devotion to the Eucharist? Is Jesus calling you closer to Him?

​"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." 

"They all ate and were satisfied."

​Have you encountered Jesus today in the Eucharist? He is waiting for you. Stop by for a visit... better yet, if it is not too late for Mass, come and receive Him who is our Heavenly food. 

Gospel: Mark 11: 27-31
​
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”– 
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

“Faith and Reason are like two wings of the human spirit by which it soars to the truth.”

How do I respond when confronted with the truth? 

Do I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life? 

How can I share the truth of the Gospel?

"Jesus, share the truth with me." 

"I want to soar to the truth." 

"Guide me to share your truth."

Today, pray about how you can share the truth about Jesus with others. How can you share that He is Lord and that He is important to you?