01/06/2026
It's the start of Pride month today! It's also the Feast of the Visit of Mary to Elizabeth (moved from yesterday because yesterday was Trinity Sunday), the day when the church remembers the Virgin Mary, who had just been told she'd be bearing the Christ child, visiting her much older cousin Elizabeth, who was also miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist.
You might not think these two days have much to do with each other, but Elizabeth's greeting to Mary sparks off Mary's great prayer of praise and protest, the Magnificat, in which she speaks about God overturning the unjust order of society -- tearing the mighty from their seats of power and that sort of thing. I suggest that Pride is in a very similar spirit. A spirit of celebration and protest. A spirit that shouts and sings for justice.
Here's a prayer for today:
God of miracles,
God who throws the mighty from their seats of power and lifts up the lowly and marginalised,
as we remember today the Blessed Virgin Mary
and her song of justice and joy,
and as we begin this month
in which we remember and celebrate
the pioneers who worked prophetically for LGBTQ+ rights,
give us the faith of Mary and the courage of our q***r ancestors
to work for justice and liberation for everyone.
Amen
Artwork by Jen Norton (link in first comment)
