In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bestow upon Your servants, we beseech You, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that as the child-bearing of the blessed Virgin marked the beginning of our salvation, so may meditation on her Visitation bring us an increase of peace. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Hail, holy Mother, who in childbirth brought forth the King Who rules heaven and earth forever and ever.
My heart overflows with a goodly theme; as I sing my ode to the King (Ps 44:2)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Hail, holy Mother, who in childbirth brought forth the King Who rules heaven and earth forever and ever.
A Reading from the book of Song of Songs
Song 2:8-14
Hark! here He comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here He stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. My lover speaks: He says to me, Arise, make haste, My beloved, My dove, My beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear in our land, the time of pruning has come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, My beloved, My beautiful one, and come! O My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let Me see you, let Me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and you are lovely.
Song 2:8-14
Hark! here He comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here He stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. My lover speaks: He says to me, Arise, make haste, My beloved, My dove, My beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear in our land, the time of pruning has come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, My beloved, My beautiful one, and come! O My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let Me see you, let Me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and you are lovely.
Thanks be to God.
Blessed and venerable are you, O Virgin Mary, who, without spot were found the Mother of the Savior.
O Virgin, Mother of God, He Whom the whole world does not contain, shut Himself within your womb, becoming Man. Alleluia, alleluia.
Happy are you, O holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise; for out of you has risen the sun of justice, Christ our God. Alleluia.
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 1:39-47
At that time, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Juda. And she entered the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb leapt. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how have I deserved that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Luke 1:39-47
At that time, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Juda. And she entered the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb leapt. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how have I deserved that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
Homily by St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
Bk. ii. Comm. on Luke i.
We must here consider that the greater cometh unto the lesser, Mary unto Elizabeth, Christ unto John. And again afterwards, to hallow the baptism of John, the Lord came unto him to be baptized. It was soon that the blessings of the coming of Mary and of the Presence of God were made manifest. Have regard here to the distinction made, and to the special weight of every word. Elizabeth was the first to hear the voice of Mary's salutation, but John was the first to receive grace. She heard naturally, but he leaped mystically. She hailed the coming of Mary, he that of the Lord, Mary and Elizabeth spake words full of grace, but Jesus and John worked, and commenced their mystery of godliness from their mothers' beginnings, and so by twin miracles the mothers prophesied from the spirit of their unborn offspring. The babe leaped, and the mother was filled with the Holy Ghost. The mother was not filled before the son, but when the son was filled with the Holy Ghost, he filled his mother also.
Bk. ii. Comm. on Luke i.
We must here consider that the greater cometh unto the lesser, Mary unto Elizabeth, Christ unto John. And again afterwards, to hallow the baptism of John, the Lord came unto him to be baptized. It was soon that the blessings of the coming of Mary and of the Presence of God were made manifest. Have regard here to the distinction made, and to the special weight of every word. Elizabeth was the first to hear the voice of Mary's salutation, but John was the first to receive grace. She heard naturally, but he leaped mystically. She hailed the coming of Mary, he that of the Lord, Mary and Elizabeth spake words full of grace, but Jesus and John worked, and commenced their mystery of godliness from their mothers' beginnings, and so by twin miracles the mothers prophesied from the spirit of their unborn offspring. The babe leaped, and the mother was filled with the Holy Ghost. The mother was not filled before the son, but when the son was filled with the Holy Ghost, he filled his mother also.
And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me That is to say, How cometh it to pass that so great a good should befall me, as that the Mother of my Lord should come to me I feel the miracle, I acknowledge the mystery the Mother of my Lord, pregnant with the Word, is full of God. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. It is meet to record how Mary showed this kindness, and abode this mystic number of months. She tarried long, not only for friendship's sake, but also for the good of the Great Prophet. For if the first coming of Mary so blessed him, that even as a babe in the womb he leapt for joy, and his mother was filled with the Holy Ghost, what blessedness must we not deem to have flowed upon him from so long neighbourhood of Mary Thus was the Prophet anointed, and trained by exercise like a strong wrestler, in his mother's womb, for his sinews were being braced for a hard battle.
Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it. How nobly doth the Saviour say Yea to the woman's blessing, declaring also that not only is she blessed who was meet to give bodily birth to the Word of God, but that all they who spiritually conceive the same Word by the hearing of faith, and, by keeping it through good works, bring it forth and, as it were, carefully nurse it, in their own hearts, and in the hearts of their neighbours, are also blessed. Yea, and that the very Mother of God herself was blessed in being for a while the handmaid of the Word of God made Flesh, but that she was much more blessed in this, that through her love she keepeth Him for ever.
From Holy Rosary by St. Josemaria Escriva – the Visitation
By now, my little friend, you have no doubt learned to get along by yourself. —Joyfully keep Joseph and Mary company... and you will hear the traditions of the House of David:
You will hear of Elizabeth and Zachary, you will be moved by Joseph's pure love, and your heart will pound whenever there is mention of the Child who will be born in Bethlehem...
We walk in haste towards the mountains, to a town of the tribe of Judah (Luke 1:39).
We arrive. —It is the house where John the Baptist is to be born. —Elizabeth gratefully hails the Mother of her Redeemer: Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! —How have I deserved to be thus visited by the Mother of my Lord? (Luke 1:42-43)
The unborn Baptist quivers... (Luke 1:41) —Mary's humility pours forth in the Magnificat... —And you and I, who are proud —who were proud—, promise to be humble.
You will hear of Elizabeth and Zachary, you will be moved by Joseph's pure love, and your heart will pound whenever there is mention of the Child who will be born in Bethlehem...
We walk in haste towards the mountains, to a town of the tribe of Judah (Luke 1:39).
We arrive. —It is the house where John the Baptist is to be born. —Elizabeth gratefully hails the Mother of her Redeemer: Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! —How have I deserved to be thus visited by the Mother of my Lord? (Luke 1:42-43)
The unborn Baptist quivers... (Luke 1:41) —Mary's humility pours forth in the Magnificat... —And you and I, who are proud —who were proud—, promise to be humble.
Pray 5 decades of the Rosary meditation on the Joyful Mysteries
