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."
The WORD
When Elizabeth hears the greetings of her young cousin Mary, she calls her "most blessed among women." The Greek word used by Luke for "blessed" is
eulogmen, a passive participle. More often used is the adjective makaria, which is the equivalent of the Hebrew ’ashre or baruk.
Among the pagan Greeks and Romans, "blessed" was attributed to the gods and goddesses who did not have to toil like human beings and were not subject to earthly frailties or misfortunes. It also described persons who were judged in some ways to share the privilege of the gods: The rich, the wise, the powerful, the fortunate.
In the Old Testament, blessing or
macarism is ascribed to a person or group for certain praiseworthy religious behavior or attitude. The source of this blessing is the approval of Yahweh. Blessed are those who have Yahweh as God, those who trust in Him and follow His commandments. God will reward them with a good and happy life.
Jesus’ own ministry is related to the divine blessings. His presence among men and women signifies the coming of the kingdom and a new reality for those who accept it. Often His beatitudes are paradoxical: the poor, the mourners, the meek, the hungry, and the persecuted who ordinarily are not regarded as happy people are declared blessed because God is on their side and will make them happy.
Mary’s own blessedness is related to the coming of Jesus to the world which signals the fullness of time. She is blessed for "the fruit of her womb;" she is the mother of "the Lord," who is none other than her Son. Her other blessing lies in her believing the word spoken to her by the Lord through the angel. For Luke, Mary is the first to be worthy of the evangelical blessing upon those "who hear the word of God and observe it" (Lk 11:28).
SOURCE:
"365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph. 
