I remember when several years ago I went to Poland to visit my family, but I didn’t tell anyone that I was coming. I just wanted to surprise them, and so I did. I remember their faces -- my mom who couldn’t believe that she was seeing me, my siblings in shock -- a very nice surprise. The Blessed Virgin Mary traveled a long distance to visit her cousin Elizabeth and to share her joy with her. Obviously, Mary could not call ahead or send a text message; she just went and turned it into a huge surprise. So, Elizabeth said: “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.” Today we would say that Mary ‘made her day’. We all are called to ‘make other people’s day’ by spreading our love, our friendship, and our joy with them. Perhaps there is someone you know, an old friend, or a family member that you haven’t talked to for a long time; maybe you should call him or her, bring a smile to their face, or think about other ways of bringing joy to other people’s lives. Mary shared her joy; we should follow her example.
