In the gospel we have two women who are legitimately astounded about their pregnancies. Elizabeth is advanced in years and was thought to be barren. Mary, on the other hand, is young, unmarried, and somewhat mystified at the circumstances surrounding her “being with child.” With this surprising situation, one can just imagine when the two women met, they exclaimed to each other, “Can you believe this?” Yet, they do. Today’s gospel ends with a declaration of faith by Elizabeth and this passage is followed immediately by Mary’s profession of faith: the Magnificat. God’s promises to Israel are being fulfilled in surprising and unlikely ways. God has still many surprises for us, do you believe that?