The Second Joyful
Mystery: The Visitation
In the days that
followed, Mary rose up and went with all haste to a town of Juda, in the hill
country where Zachary dwelt; and there entering in she gave Elizabeth
greeting. No sooner had Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, than the child
leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Ghost; so that she cried out with a loud voice, Blessed art
thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. How
have I deserved to be thus visited by the mother of my Lord? Why,
as soon as ever the voice of thy greeting sounded in my ears, the child in my
womb leaped for joy. Blessed art thou for thy believing; the message that was
brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfilment.
And Mary said, My
soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit has found joy in God, who is my Saviour, because
he has looked graciously upon the lowliness of his handmaid. Behold, from this
day forward all generations will count me blessed; because
he who is mighty, he whose name is holy, has wrought for me his wonders. He
has mercy upon those who fear him, from generation to generation; he
has done valiantly with the strength of his arm, driving the proud astray in
the conceit of their hearts; he has put down the mighty from their seat, and exalted the
lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich
away empty-handed. He has protected his servant Israel, keeping his
merciful design in remembrance, according to the promise which he made to our forefathers,
Abraham and his posterity for evermore. Mary returned home when she had
been with her about three months - Luke 1:39-56
The Meaning of the Mystery
We are all called
to be bearers of Christ, to carry Him within us to care for the needs of those
around us. Mary was, quite arguably, the
most important woman in human history. She was given a task few of us can dare
to imagine, to be the mother of the Savior of humanity. Yet in spite of the importance and honor this
role imparted to her she did not hesitate to go and to serve someone else. She knew her cousin Elizabeth was an elderly
woman and would need help to endure the rigors of pregnancy. The moment that she heard of her cousin’s
good news, she thought only of going to her and serving her.
This was not
without risk. She could have been stoned
for being found pregnant, and her cousin’s husband was the high priest that
year. It would be his duty to put her to
death if it were proven that she had been unfaithful to her betrothed,
Joseph. Yet in spite of the risks, in
spite of the discomfort she may have endured in these early stages of
pregnancy, she went immediately to care for someone else.
It was because
Mary chose to put the needs of another ahead of her own needs that John the
Baptist received the Holy Spirit while he was still in the womb of his
mother. That early sanctification
allowed him to be the child who prepared the way for Christ. When we pray this
mystery of the rosary, we pray that we, too, may have the spirit of service
which allows us to put the needs of others ahead of our own.
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