Mary and Elizabeth (Part 1)
Scripture ~ The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.For nothing will be impossible with God.”Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Luke 1: 35-38
Spiritual Focus ~ “We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is at eternal peace.” Elizabeth Gilbert, U.S. American journalist and author, best known for her memoir Eat Pray Love
Breath Prayer ~ Peace in me, peace in you.
Devotion ~ In Luke’s gospel story of Mary and Elizabeth we see hope fulfilled in the revelation of their two pregnancies: one to Elizabeth, an older barren woman, and one to Mary, a young virgin. There are several places in the narrative of Jesus’ birth where Mary pauses and contemplates the circumstances that involve her body, her mind, her spirit, and her consent. After a few questions and reassurance from an angel, her response is to trust God, acknowledge her faithful service, and make peace with her new circumstances. Last week we lit the first candle of hope; this week we light the second advent candle of peace.
The idea of peace is almost as elusive as the idea of hope. We seek peace during times of war or conflict. We are encouraged to practice peace amid chaos and confusion, often in response to external situations around us. However, in our scripture Mary senses a peace within, an internal as well as eternal source of peace that allows her to respond whole heartedly to the angel’s invitation.
Traditionally, the purpose of yoga is to show us the way back to our center, to that place—perhaps an internal home—deep within our hearts where eternal peace exists. Sometimes we forget that we, like Mary, are invited into a story of promised presence. Our yoga practice gently reminds us of the embodied peace that leads us to respond, “Here I am, your servant.”
