Jesus, Child in the Womb
Luke 1:39-45

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: "Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb." v. 41-42

It is through Mary's visit and greeting that Elizabeth was led to Jesus. It is at Mary's greeting that Elizabeth cried out in praise.

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Elizabeth also responded to John. John was "filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb" and helped his mother be filled with the Spirit. Likewise, it was John as a Spirit-filled babe in the womb who first responded to the Spirit-filled greeting of Mary. Child responded to child, and both mothers were blest indeed!

MARY HONORED & BLEST

Mary was praised as "the mother of my Lord," the Theotokos, the God-bearer. Just as the ark of the covenant was honored and reverenced because of the tablets of the law within, so too is Mary honored because of the Living Word within her womb.

Mary also modeled faith for us. "Blest is she who trusted that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled." She is, therefore, "blest among women." And not only is she blest among women, she is blest by all generations! "All ages to come shall call me blessed" she proclaimed in her hymn of praise.

FETAL STATE SANCTIFIED

How can anyone consider aborting a fetus when it is obvious the Holy Spirit dwelt within the fetus of John the Baptist? How can we treat life so cheaply, when Jesus has sanctified the fetal state by being declared both "blessed" and "Lord" while he was in the womb? Abortion is not only the taking of life, it is an irreverence towards Jesus, the Lord and Author of life. It is not only a taking of physical human life, it is denying the Holy Spirit! How can we deny a child the opportunity of hearing the good news in life when it was just such a child who brought forth the good news of life to his mother from the womb!

John Michael Talbot