The Visitation Of Mary

The Visitation by Domenico Ghirlandaio - Musée du Louvre, Paris


Image from The Web Gallery of Art

Coming in the midst of our present time of war and grief are stories of new life springing forth. During the time preceding the Visitation, the angel Gabriel was about his business of carrying messages from God announcing impending births, first to Zechariah, telling him that his wife Elizabeth was to give birth to a son, and then a few months later to Mary, giving the news of her pregnancy, although she knew not man.

Soon after learning that she was with child, Mary set off to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who, in her old age, had conceived her child, John The Baptist, the herald of Mary's child, Jesus, Our Savior.

Where was Joseph during this time that Mary visited her cousin? Hard at work at his carpentry in Nazareth, I suppose.

The reading from the Gospel for the feast of the Visitation includes The Magnificat, Mary's song of praise, one of the most glorious prayers in all of the history of Christianity.

In the Old Testament Book of Samuel, we read of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who also conceived in her old age, after giving up hope of having a child. She prayed in thanksgiving and praise to God after the birth of her son, who became a judge and a prophet. Hannah's prayer prefigures Mary's prayer.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah’s Prayer

Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in my victory.

‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honour.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.

‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not by might does one prevail.
The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
the Most High will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king,
and exalt the power of his anointed.’


Luke 1:39-55

The Visitation

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’


PRAYER

Father in heaven, by whose grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.


I highly recommend that you visit In A Godward Direction, Tobias Haller's blog, to listen to his musical composition: Setting of the Magnificat from "Mountain Vespers" by Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG, sung by the members of the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory.

It's lovely.

And isn't Ghirlandaio's painting beautiful?