As we come to the final day of this week of choir camp, Adventures on the Way, our prayer this morning includes a beautiful story of pilgrimage.

Does anyone know what we call this Gospel story we just heard?

Right, the Visitation.  But who is visiting whom here?

For sure, Mary is visiting Elizabeth.  But really it is the Lord, unseen in the womb of Mary, who is visiting his people for the first time.  His herald, his announcer, John the Baptizer leaps for joy and, the Gospel tells us, in that moment, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and says to Mary, “blessed are you among women…blessed is the fruit of your womb…Blessed are you who believed.” In return Mary sings with joy, “My soul proclaims the greatness of God.”  So as Mary makes her pilgrimage to the hill country of Judah, what must have seemed the end of the earth to her, she bears in herself God who has come to earth so that all people might be filled with joy and sing to the glory of God.

By happy providence as we gather this morning we do so on another important event in the life of Mary.  Does anyone know what the Church celebrates today?

Right, the Assumption of Mary into heaven.

Being raised up with Jesus Christ is where Mary’s pilgrimage leads her. Mary’s final ‘Adventure on the Way’ is to experience the joy of being raised up to be with her Son who first made his pilgrimage to earth and so brought joy not only to Elizabeth when Mary visited her but also through his preaching, healing, passion, and resurrection brings that same joy to all who were in darkness. The Adventure of being a bearer of Christ into the world, that pilgrimage Mary set out on when first she brought her net-yet-born Son to visit the not-yet-born son of Elizabeth, takes many twists and turns but leads as Mary trusted it would to God.  And so we, the Church, with great joy sing “Hail, Holy Queen enthroned above” because by assuming Mary into heaven, the Holy Spirit reveals to us who are not-yet-finished what God has planned for each one of us.  Our pilgrimage, our Adventure on the Way, leads not only to finisterre, the many ends of the earth, but also to eternity, to being sharers with Mary in union with Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us therefore humbly pray as Mary did that God alone may always be glorified when we raise our voices to him.  For in following her on the Way we can be confident that those who sing the greatness of God, no matter how small they may be, shall indeed be raised up to sing God’s glory in the company of the saints and angels.