One of my favorite scenes in the Bible is when Mary travels to the hill country to stay with her kinswoman Elizabeth after her visit from Angel Gabriel. She had just agreed to be the mother of God and learned that her elderly cousin Elizabeth was miraculously pregnant too.

Homilies often teach us of the generosity of Mary in wanting to help Elizabeth. That is an important message, but I have always looked at it a little differently. Mary just encountered an angel, agreed to a role with no clear understanding of what it would look like, and then learned that her cousin had been chosen for a special role too.

God chose two women from the same family, in the same period of history, to be special contributors to his story of salvation. I don’t think that was a coincidence. I think Mary ran to Elizabeth because she was the only other person on earth that she could talk to openly about this experience. They were both faithful women, pregnant in extraordinary ways. Who else could they talk to as candidly about their excitement, fears, joys, and doubts?

I think that the three months that these faithful women lived together, helping each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually, was instrumental in preparing them for the next phase of their journeys.

We each need our own Elizabeth. Our faith communities are meant to nurture our spiritual growth, to support and advise us in spiritual matters just as we need mentors in other areas of our life.

When you have questions, doubts, when you want to talk about your faith, who is your Elizabeth?

Scripture: This week, read Luke 1:39-45. What is it saying to you?

Call to Action: Pray each day asking God to lead you to your Elizabeth. If you have one, speak to him or her regularly. If not, you may need to start meeting people at church so you can find the person that you connect with, your kinsperson, in blood or in spirit.