The Visitation
theophilus May 31st, 2008
Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The story is told in Luke 1 and gives us two great prayers.
The first great prayer is the second part of the Hail Mary. The first part of Ave Maria is taken from the Annunciation when St. Gabriel cries out -
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you.
The second part is taken from the Visitation when St. Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, proclaims -
Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
The second great prayer is the Magnificat, which is Mary’s proclamation of joy and gratefulness for God’s immense blessings.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
It’s the Magnificat that makes up a part of the Evening Prayer offered by the Church each and every night as part of the Liturgy of the Hours.
The Visitation also makes up one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, contemplated on the part of the Church at least twice a week.
I don’t think we can underscore enough the importance of the Visitation in our faith.
The Visitation is important because Mary showed her immense love for her neighbor and dedication to God by setting off in “haste” to visit St. Elizabeth – no hesitation, she was off as soon as she heard the news.
St. Elizabeth faithfully believed in the miraculous nature of her elderly pregnancy and of the feeling that the Holy Spirit put into her soul that her cousin was carrying the Son of God.
Jesus and St. John the Baptist knew in utero that each other existed (so, is it good to be pro-life or what).
Mary through her Magnificat showed a special humility and intimacy with God.
What would the world be like if we all had this love, humility and devotion, believed in God’s ability to work miracles, listened to the Holy Spirit, and just believed in ourselves and each other.
Let us truly contemplate the Visitation today. The divine cast of this story has a great deal to teach us.
- Church , Faith , Family , Holy Spirit , Jesus , Liturgy , Mary , Prayer , Relationships , Saints
- Comments(0)
