One thing about traveling, though. You never know what you'll face on the road. Flat tires. Collisions. Sudden winds, heavy rain, white-outs. Paul and I were hit by a deer once.
I'm sure that a pregnant Mary's several days of travel to the hill country to visit her aged relative Elizabeth must have been a physically uncomfortable journey. Mary is going to stay with Elizabeth in the last months of her pregnancy and to assist with the birth. But she's also going because the angel Gabriel had told her that a sign and confirmation of the validity of the message given to her - that she will bear the Son of the Most High - is that her aged relative, thought to be barren, has conceived and is already six months pregnant.
Mary hopes that the mother of another miracle baby will be able to understand and accept her story of a visit by an angel, and her pregnancy with a child conceived not by man but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary is young - will the much older Elizabeth offer her comfort, encouragement, and wisdom?
When we travel, we never know for sure what we will find at the end of our journey. Perhaps we even wonder about what kind of reception we will receive. Mary wonders about Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah; she has left hurriedly to visit them, and they don't know that she is coming.
Mary comes to the door and as Elizabeth opens it, Mary greets her with "Peace." She surely has not expected Elizabeth's greeting to her, in a loud excited voice: "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen that the mother of my Lord should come to me?...Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
What an affirming, healing greeting! Mary knows now that she can remain here, safe, with someone who understands her and her sacred mission. And she praises God, already trusting that the One Who has brought her - and Israel - this far, will be there for the rest of her unknown, difficult, but beautiful journey: "The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name; His mercy is from age to age to those who fear (are in awe of) Him."
(This story, told in Luke's Gospel, chapter one.)
We'll all be traveling around in the days to come. Some of us will be shopping, mailing cards and presents, buying new sets of electric lights for trees, or trees themselves. Others of us will be traveling out of town for holiday visits to relatives and friends. Some of us will be home and quiet, traveling on inner journeys of grief and remembrance. Still others will be in Hospices, making the last long journey home to the Lord.
All of us can pray Mary's words - "The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear Him." All of us, on our life's journeys, have experienced the Lord's gifts and blessings, have experienced His Presence on both the good days and the difficult ones. We all know that our life journey's most important lesson is the one that a young Mary already knew and understood: if we place everything in God's Hands, we will see God's Hand at work in everything.
Mary did not know what would happen in her life with this most unexpected Son of the Most High - even as we don't know what will happen in our journey with Him. But, she trusted that Goodness and Light would guide her and uphold her. As we can trust.