Gospel: Luke 1: 39-45
Upon learning from the angel that her cousin Elizabeth is with child in a miraculous way, Mary goes to visit her. Mary needs Elizabeth as much as Elizabeth needs her. In a patriarchal society it was somewhat dangerous for a woman to say that they have been visited by God or an angel and received a divine gift. Women would rely on each other in such moments and find support among themselves amidst men who would mock and disbelieve them.
An important role for religion is to provide a safe place for people to share their own experiences of God and to listen to those of others. It is a place to reflect on our experiences of God within a large tradition of stories of other people's experiences of God in their lives. When people find that they are not heard within the walls of their church they will go elsewhere. When a religion tells us that God commanded genocide but that God could not possibly call women to serve him in certain ways, people will rightly question.
Advent is a time where we learn to listen for the voice of God in our lives, and to provide space for others to hear the voice of God in their lives. If God is to be incarnate within us and be brought into the world through us, then God speaks to all of us just as God spoke to Mary and Elizabeth. It is for us to listen and follow where the voice of God leads.
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