Mary letters - Day 22

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed 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."
And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Luke 1:39-55

Dear Auntie,

Our progress was slow and the crowds were bigger than ever. Walking I was so jostled and elbowed that I had to sit out for some time. We are almost to Bethlehem and I have never seen anything like it! The lights of the city shine like thousands of stars on earth, and I wonder how we will ever find our way to a place to stay. Tonight I am trying not to worry but there have been a few pains and it seems like I will not make it back home before the child arrives.

I told Joseph the story of  my visit with you, after the angel had visited me, and how the babe had danced in your belly. I sang to you the old song of Miriam that we had learned as girls. It has been running through my head all day today. This life and journey seems so impossible, but remembering you in that moment have helped me keep going on. I feel terribly lowly and yet, God does indeed looks down on the lowly, and even, I guess, huge, pregnant girls like me who feels more awkward with every step.

Please keep me in your prayers. I am very worried about the labor that is to come and worried I won't be strong enough for the days ahead. Pray that God will bring me peace in place of all my fears.

Much love,

Mary

Collect
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.