I grew up with both of my grandparents living within walking distance of my house. We visited my mom's mother at least once a week, probably more. I slept over at her house every couple of months. My Grandma Francis also taught me a love for playing cards and all the best games! When I was a little girl, I loved it. When I was in middle school, I didn't so much. I didn't want to have to help her with her laundry or do the dishes (she didn't have a dishwasher so there were always lots of dishes to dry - which is my least favorite chore). I just wanted to be anywhere else.

Then my grandmother passed away my freshman year in high school. Then it was all over. No more card games, no more sleep overs, no more laundry, no more drying the dishes. I still really miss her, to be honest. I wish I knew more about her life before she was my grandma. I wish I had spent more time on those visits. 

Today's feast and reading remind me of my grandma every year. Today's the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. After Mary found out she would be the Mother of God, she went to the hill country to be with her cousin Elizabeth. Traditionally, today's when she arrived. 

Elizabeth greets Mary with the phrase most of us can utter in our sleep "Blessed are you among women, blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Recognize that?)

There's much we could say about the Blessed Mother, the fact that she was carrying Jesus in her womb, her magnificat, the fact that Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. But let's talk about the power of visiting.

At its heart, visiting is just about spending time with other people. It's a small gesture that seems to have been put on the back burner in today's culture. We're usually too busy to just sit and visit with someone. Our grandparents get put to the aside, even our parents if we're not living with them. Even if we are, to be honest. Visiting with your parents this weekend might be dinner without your phone or the TV on. It could be going on a Sunday drive just for the fun of it, not for the purpose of actually going anywhere.

Visiting creates community, and community is what we were built for. Let's follow Mary's example and make visiting a priority in our lives.

What was it like for Elizabeth to visit with her cousin Mary? They were both pregnant with very special little boys, little boys who would literally change the world. How does their visit impact you today?

Are there people in your life who you haven't just sat down for a visit with in a long time? 

Have you sat down with Jesus for a visit lately?

"I love you Lord."

"I long for communion with you and community with others."

"Help me see your presence in others."

Find someone to visit with in the next few days. Even though it's a busy time. Even though you have to study. Even though it's the beginning of summer. Even though there's just so many other things to do. Find time to visit with someone.

​Evangelization can be really difficult. I’ve heard countless, cringe-worthy stories of arguments breaking out in the middle of family dinners or at holiday parties over some of the more controversial church teachings. The people we often feel most responsible to lead to Christ are our closest family and friends because we want nothing more than to have them in heaven with us one day. But sometimes the hardest people to evangelize are the people that we love the most.

When our family and friends are not open to hearing the Good News, that does not mean that we should give up or that we have failed in the mission, given to us by Christ, to make disciples. I might not recommend telling your more obstinate friends and family, “Your blood be on your heads,” but sometimes, we do need to shake out our garments, like St. Paul, and move on to the next group that the Lord is calling us to minister to and evangelize. Moving on does not mean that you give up on your friends and family. Always continue to pray for them, but realize that the responsibility of their salvation does not fall on your shoulders. God alone has ransomed them by Christ’s death on the cross, and He is continuing to work for their good each and every day.

When discouragement comes (and it will), we can look to St. Paul’s example with hope. By authentically living out our faith, we are accomplishing far more for the Kingdom of God than we even realize. By allowing our own hearts to be continually converted, the Lord will open us up to ever greater opportunities to help Him win hearts for the Kingdom of God.

Are there any loved ones that you have tried particularly hard to evangelize? Have you struggled with the feeling that their souls depend on you? Is there anyone in your life that you need to entrust to God and not to your own efforts?

Knowing that their souls are in God's hands, where/who is God calling you to today? How can you focus your gifts and talents to serve God and others according to His will?

Are you allowing yourself to be constantly converted? How can you follow St. Paul's example of faith, hope, love, and evangelization today?

"I give my life to you."

"I trust you."

"Lead me."

Today, spend time in prayer offering all your friends and family members who you have been trying to evangelize over the weeks, months, or years. Offer them up to God and ask for His help in understanding that their souls are in His hands, not on your shoulders. After entrusting your loved ones to God, spend time listening to where or what He is calling you today. 

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

From the beginning of time, the Lord has been pursuing each one of us. We may hear often about the Lord pursuing us, but I think it can be really difficult to understand in a tangible way. We read in today’s first reading that, “[God] fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God.” The Lord is pursuing us by continuing to reveal himself to us. In every season, we see a beauty and an order that points us back to God himself. I’ve lived in both sweltering Houston summers and polar vortex Chicago winters, and while I can’t say I particularly enjoyed either, the Lord was still offering me opportunities to seek Him in those seasons of my life. Often, I’m the one failing to take advantage of those opportunities, typically due to my own laziness or being “too busy” pursuing other things. God is in the ordinary. He is in the everyday circumstances of this life. He is pursuing you and seeking you in the ordinary and in the messiness of each day. While he is particularly present in the Eucharist and in tabernacles around the world, the Lord is also calling out to you at every moment of your day.

Christ is not far from you. In this season of your life, you may feel closer to the Lord than ever before, or you may not feel his presence at all. Our relationship with God is not always going to look pretty and perfect and wrapped with a nice ribbon. Sometimes it is a messy seeking, groping, and finding as we read about today. The important thing is that we never stop seeking or groping for the Lord. Even in the dark corners, we can grasp for the light which the Lord wishes to shine in them. It is in these moments that we can find the Lord pursuing us. When we take the time to seek Him, we begin to realize that He was already there all along. 

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

What is holding me back from seeking Christ fully?

What does this season of my life currently look like? In this season, am I feeling close to the Lord or far from Him?

Where in my life do I currently find the Lord pursuing me?

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"Christ is not far from any of us."

"Seek and find."

​"Christ is present."

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

Clear away whatever is holding you back from pursuing the Lord fully in return.

Happy Easter! Even a month later we’re still celebrating this season of Christ’s Resurrection, but the liturgical celebration coming up is equally as important. Pentecost, the celebration of the apostles' reception of the Holy Spirit, is coming.

For Christians today, it is an important reminder to continue to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. 
One line in today’s Gospel has always stood out to me. Jesus is speaking to his apostles during the Last Supper on the night before his Passion begins. He states: “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit- the Advocate he promises to send to the apostles after his death and resurrection. 

Jesus specifically says that he is speaking the truth. It is better that Jesus ascends to heaven so that we can receive the Holy Spirit than if he were to stay on earth with us. This phrase begs a few questions. Why can’t Jesus remain? Is it some sort of trade – Jesus for the Holy Spirit? 

It's important to note that the mission of salvation does not begin with Jesus’ birth. The Holy Spirit is at work throughout the Old Testament, moving among God's people and preparing the great mission of salvation he has in store for us. In the time before the Messiah, the Holy Spirit is “hidden, but at work” (look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church 702).  The Catechism goes onto state that Jesus only reveals the fullness of the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension into heaven. It is through the Holy Spirit that we can know the Father, understand what Christ speaks to us, and live in truth. 

The last aspect of the Holy Spirit we can reflect on is that God is giving us the great gift of himself in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God's gift of love- the gift of himself to dwell in our hearts, as a result of our baptism. The Spirit will always remain in us and we are continually strengthened by him.

Today, don't ignore God! He has given us the Holy Spirit so we can truly be close to him in this life. We have the opportunity to build a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit and truly allow God’s power to change the world through us. 

Where is the Holy Spirit active in my life?

How am I depending on the strength of the Holy Spirit to help me live as a disciple?

How do I think the Spirit can help lead me to a deeper relationship with Jesus? With the Father?

"Come, Holy Spirit."

"Fill me afresh."

"Thank you, Lord."

Take time to pray for the Holy Spirit to be more active in your life today. If you're really interested in growing in a relationship with the Spirit, consider doing a Pentecost Novena in these days leading up to Pentecost.