"Sorry Elizabeth." Richard Gunther (cartoonist)

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."

Elizabeth was "filled with the Holy Spirit." Do you know what that means? It's when God so fills you, your "cup" runs over. That comes when you surrender completely to God, and the fruit of that will be that you speak with a loud voice. Do you know what happened when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? They spoke with a loud voice. They couldn’t but speak that which they had seen and heard. God had given everlasting life to those who sat in the shadow of death, and so they had to speak. See Acts 2 for details.

Mary was blessed among women. She had miraculously conceived a child, and yet she was a virgin. The Catholic church maintains that Mary then ascended into the heavens, and they believe that she is still a virgin. However, the Bible says that she had at least five other children: "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" (Matthew 13:55). "Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children." (Matthew 27:56). So you and I have a decision to make as to who is right. Do we accept the traditions of the Roman church, or do we put our trust in the Word of the Living God?

It was this clash between the Word of God and the word of men that sparked the whole Protestant Reformation, and the result was that it brought salvation to millions. But this clash is nothing new. The religious leaders at the time of Christ also preferred their own traditions to the Word of God. See Matthew 15:6

NOTE: Sorry for any misunderstanding. Richard didn't write the above. He merely apologized for the cartoon.