Once in a while you read something that you have previously read a hundred times and something new jumps out at you, something so obvious that you can't imagine why you didn't see it earlier. I had that experience with yesterday's reading from Luke's Gospel (Lk 1: 39-56), the story of Mary's trip to visit her relative, Elizabeth, which we call the Visitation. (Sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday, but Julie and I were driving back from Baltimore with our son, Michael, who is moving back here after living and working in Baltimore for the last three years.) We all know the story, and often I wondered why, exactly, Mary set off "with haste" to go see Elizabeth when she did. Was she going to congratulate Elizabeth on the impending arrival of a son? Did she want to compate notes on being pregnant? Was she just trying to go someplace far away and safe to be while she processed this amazing information that she was going to give birth to a child who will be called "the Son of God"? Of course all those things could be true. But I realized there is something more basic and obvious going on. Mary went to see Elizabeth to get verification of what the angel, Gabriel, had told her. Remember that Mary had wondered how in the world she could become pregnant when she was a virgin. Gabriel said nothing is impossible with God, and gave the example of Elizabeth's pregnancy, well after the time when she was able to bear children, of that fact. See, Gabriel, says, Elizabeth is pregnant when that seems to be impossible, and you can be too. Mary believes, of course, but the expression from the Reagan years of "trust but verify" comes to mind. Mary had a way to verify what Gabriel was saying-- all she had to do was go and see Elizabeth. So, as soon as Gabriel leaves, Mary sets off and goes "with haste" to check out the situation with Elizabeth. And, it is worth noting, that it is only after Mary has received verification that Elizabeth is pregnant that Mary proclaims her great "Magnificat." Obvious, right? Mary rushes off to see Elizabeth for the basic and simple human reason that Gabriel has told her how to confirm what Gabriel has said, and Mary wants that confirmation. When she gets it, and not before, she proclaims her great joy. Think about it. How often are we asked to take something "on faith"? Quite a bit, right? But often, more often than you think, God also gives us a way to get some kind of verification, some human evidence that what our faith asks us to believe is really true. We are asked to believe in miracles, and every once in a while we pray for some kind of miracle, and there is is. We are asked to believe that Jesus is present with us, and every once in a while we get a glimpse of that real presence. We are asked to believe that God forgives our sins, and sometimes we actually feel that forgiveness. Yes, trust in what the Lord has revealed to us. But also verify. If you seek it, you'll be surprised at how often God provides what was given to Mary-- a way to confirm what you already believe.