The gift of encouragement
English: child Jesus with the virgin Mary, with the Holy Spirit (represented as a dove) and God the Father, with child john the Baptist and saint Elizabeth on the right (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit . [Luke 1:41] When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, one of the things he told her was that “Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age” (1:36). This encouraged Mary to visit Elizabeth, to get some woman-to-woman support for the times ahead for them both. Thus, “at that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea , where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth” (vv. 39–40). John the Baptist , who was six months old in the womb at this point (v. 26), leaped for joy when Mary entered the room. Simultaneously Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. What did the Holy Spirit do to Elizabeth? He caused her to open h