The spirit of a visit

Many people will be visiting family and friends over the next few days. There is something we can learn from the visit that Mary made to Elizabeth, as it is recorded in the Sunday Gospel today, the 4th Sunday of Advent. The above picture shows not just the joy, but the exuberance and enthusiastic welcome that Elizabeth extended to Mary. They talked, they prayed, but they also laughed as they realized what was happening to them, one a teenage girl, the other a older woman, way beyond child-bearing age. And since this was the first encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus, both still in their mother's wombs, there was an undercurrent story here, as the babies rejoiced at each others' presence.
May our visits be accompanied with sincere joy, courtesy, and a genuine spirit of welcome, hospitality and friendship.