Priest José Antonio Senovilla offers this article on the feast of the Visitation of the Virgin, celebrated today, May 31.
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Why is the visit of a young woman to her relative, in a tiny village, of such importance for Christians, to such an extent that it is one of the most notable mysteries of the life of Jesus, which we consider every day in the Rosary? ?
Because in that encounter God was present in a very special way and we are also given here the purest, most joyful and profound song of gratitude and praise that any creature has ever uttered. The Magnificat has served as inspiration for some of the most notable works in the history of music and art in general.
The meeting took place in one of the most beautiful villages in Palestine. When you visit the Holy Land, you are impressed by the beauty and freshness of the landscape of Ain-Karem, the place where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived, just a few kilometers from Jerusalem.
We are talking about two elderly people who, over the years, learned to love each other more every day, to respect each other more every day, to surprise each other more every day. That love of theirs, pure, clean, deep, always young, was a manifestation of the love of God. Because their faith in God was very great. God, whom they had always wanted to serve with all their hearts, had asked them for a great sacrifice: Isabel was sterile and also already old, so everything indicated that they would die without seeing the fruit of their love. How many times had they asked God for a miracle, and it seemed that God did not want to listen to them, that his plans for them were different! For a woman of Israel, not having an offspring was a sign of punishment, punishment for some sin. And no matter how much Zechariah showed his wife his affection and tenderness, she suffered for not having given him a son…
But God’s plans were different. Elizabeth, like her husband Zechariah, were very full of God. And the son that God was going to send them would be the Precursor of the Messiah himself, the one who prepared the way, the one who could see the heavens open when Jesus was baptized and hear the voice of the Father: “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).”
The scene we contemplate in the mystery of the Visitation is moving: a very special family gathering. Mary arrives to help her elderly cousin by readily welcoming the angel’s suggestion at the Annunciation. And now, at the doors of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s house, everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus, in the womb of his Mother; Mary herself, full of grace; John, in the womb of Elizabeth: full of the Spirit, he leaped for joy; and lastly, Elizabeth and Zechariah; and Joseph, who surely accompanied Mary on her long and dangerous journey from Nazareth. All filled with the Holy Spirit, each one fulfilling the will of God. What a great example of faithfulness for all of us!
There everyone’s hearts were open. The elders’ joy at seeing her relative Mary, whom they already knew was the mother of the Messiah, was immense: you have to imagine it. The climate of gratitude to God and everyone, full. And, suddenly, Mary, that creature full of discretion and humility, began to sing her praises to God. It is a great treasure that is given to us: the overflowing joy of a Heart like Mary’s.
Saint Luke picks it up in the first chapter of his Gospel: this is how the Virgin told him:
[46] Mary exclaimed:
—My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
[47] And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior:
[48] because he has set his eyes
in the humility of his slave;
That’s why from now on they will call me blessed
all generations.
[49] For he has done great things for me
the all mighty,
whose name is Holy;
[50] His mercy spreads from generation to generation
in generation
on those who fear him.
[51] She manifested the power of his arm,
she scattered the proud in heart.
[52] She cast down the mighty from his throne
and she exalted the humble.
[53] She filled the hungry with good things
and she sent away the rich empty.
[54] She protected Israel her servant,
remembering her mercy,
[55] As she had promised our fathers,
Abraham and his descendants forever.
That’s how great and good God is, who fills this often cruel and unjust world with grace and justice! That’s how good God our Father is, who also works wonders in us! And the smaller we see ourselves, the greater He, our Creator and Redeemer, the only true Savior, will appear.
This song is so beautiful that the Liturgy of the Hours invites us to pray it every day at dusk. How much good it does our soul to make the most beautiful words of the Virgin our own! If we meditate on them calmly they will always tell us something new. Because, furthermore, we were present there. We are those generations that recognize the Virgin Mary as blessed among all women. She then spoke to God about us, as she continues to do now in Heaven: she tells him good things about us. And we respond by venerating her as the blessed one of God, our Mother, Mary: “Blessed are you, among all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus” (Hail Mary Prayer).
We renew the purpose of repeating this echo of the Magnificat as many times as possible, every day. The Virgin will smile at us from Heaven. And another thing: if we trust in God, He will not fail us: he is faithful and always fulfills his promises.
