Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Read more about the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin St. Elizabeth
Lectionary: 572
Reading 1ZEP 3:14-18A
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.
Daughter Zion is a type of Mary. Like the Virgin Mary, having heard that the salvation of Israel is coming, she rejoices and sings loudly about all which God has done for her.
OrROM 12:9-16
Brothers and sisters:
Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
do not be wise in your own estimation.
Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;
do not be wise in your own estimation.
Mary showed these virtues when, having heard that her aged cousin was with child, she traveled to the hill country to help her with her travail. She gave no thought to her safety but only thought about the help she might be able to afford her cousin.
Responsorial PsalmIS 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6
R. (6) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God is Mary's saviour just as He is ours. But for her, He did mighty things which can barely be comprehended by the rest of us. He did these things for her because she is the mother of His Son, God made flesh in her womb.
GospelLK 1:39-56
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“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.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“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.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
In her ode to the Lord, Mary proclaimed her faith and thanksgiving for all which He had done for her. Even St. Elizabeth was amazed that Mary believed everything which the Angel said to her. I suppose, she, like her husband were having trouble believing all that was happening, until the time when Mary appeared at their door, bearing the child of God in her womb.
Hi De Maria,
ReplyDeleteI add one verses Luke 1:49 to show that the BVM is conceived without sin because when she said this words she had been protected or over shadowed by HS ever since she said Yes to the angel . It was liked HS himself who said the words trough BVM mouth. AM I HERETIC ????
Furthermore, few verses above said that she is Full of Grace it meant no rooms for sin AMD every thing is possible for God.
Any thoughts about it ??
Sincerely, Anna
Anna Vinsensia KoliMay 31, 2013 at 1:29 AM
ReplyDeleteHi De Maria,
I add one verses Luke 1:49 to show that the BVM is conceived without sin because when she said this words she had been protected or over shadowed by HS ever since she said Yes to the angel . It was liked HS himself who said the words trough BVM mouth. AM I HERETIC ????
No. You are correct. In that verse, Mary recognized that God had done things for her which He had not done for any other person. One of those being the gift of the immaculate conception.
Furthermore, few verses above said that she is Full of Grace it meant no rooms for sin AMD every thing is possible for God.
That is also correct.
Any thoughts about it ??
In these verses, we see that God wishes us to proclaim the sanctity of Mary to all generations. Because in His Word, the Holy Spirit inspired a Saint to proclaim Mary's great faith and Mary herself was inspired to proclaim that all generations would recognize her blessedness before God.
Sincerely, Anna
Your servant in Christ,
De Maria
Thanks De Maria,
DeleteI need it for my bible study tomorrow. It is about relics and giving honours to death people. In the guide book I saw BVM picture, so I am sure she will be the main topic because I am the only one Catholic in that group.
Peace .
Awesome! Here are some verses that support the use of relics:
DeleteThe people of God always honored the relics of the Saints:
Exodus 13:19
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
And the bones of the Saint, brought a dead man to life:
2 Kings 13:21
And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
God healed people even by St. Peter's shadow:
Acts 5:15
Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
And St. Peter's garments were passed around in order to heal the sick:
Acts 19:12
So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
God loves the Saints:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God honors the Saints:
Psalm 37:28
For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
And in the New Testament, we walk with the Saints:
Hebrews 12:21-24
King James Version (KJV)
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
In addition, God sent an Angel to honor the Virgin Mary
Luke 1:26-28
King James Version (KJV)
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
and the Holy Spirit inspired a woman to honor the Virgin Mary:
Luke 1:41-45
King James Version (KJV)
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
I hope those help.
Sincerely,
De Maria
Thanks De Maria,
DeleteThey are really great help for me, I keep adding on to my bible study file .
Peace.