"A Gentle Caress"

Luke 1, 41-45—”When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord’”.

Have you ever noticed how an expectant mother caresses her belly as soon as she feels the first twinge of life? In the earlier days of the pregnancy, it is generally a one-handed stroke, but as the baby growths within her it becomes two-handed with even a few pokes here and there as she begins to recognize how the growing child is located within her. Those caresses—are they comprehended as love? Does the fetus sense his forthcoming surroundings and his mother’s love. The mother’s joy begins when the new life begins to stir inside, when the tiny heartbeat is heard for the first time, when the stirrings and kicks remind her that she is no longer alone.

I can only imagine the scene—Mary is told that she will be with child, the son of God. After the shock of finding out that she will be having a baby and who it will be, she travels to her cousin Elizabeth’s who is 6 months pregnant with her son, John. Elizabeth greets Mary at the door and Elizabeth’s baby “leaps in her womb”. Where did her hands go? Can’t you just see her caressing her now large belly. And then as Luke continues, Elizabeth announces to Mary that she is now with child. Where does Mary’s hand go? - straight to her belly.

In the years before Jesus’ conception and the 2000 years since, those actions have not changed. Pregnancy is the privilege of experiencing God’s miracle on earth.

We thank you Lord for the miracle of new life, and for the touch of a mother's hands. Amen