On another day of the year we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation, Today we read Luke's account of that event as part of our Advent preparation for the birth of Jesus. This does not mean that we suppose Mary's visit to Elizabeth took place in the week before Jesus was born; feast days and liturgical celebrations centre on the mystery which we recall, not on the actual dating of the event itself. The important thing is that our salvation took place within human history. God did not save us by a pronouncement from heaven but in the historical experience of the Word made flesh. As with many accounts in the Bible, there are many questions which we can ask about the Visitation. If Mary was already living in Nazareth, how could she as a young girl make the long journey into the hill country of Judah? Did she go alone or with others? How did Elizabeth know that Mary was pregnant? The questions remind us that, while we do not know all the details, we commemorate the one thing which matters: the mystery of God's working through human beings to prepare the mission of Jesus in the world.