By Kathleen Muggeridge

Catholic Conscience’s CST Rosary continues with the second Joyful Mystery: the Visitation. The second Joyful Mystery beautifully highlights the principles of the Sanctity of Life and Human Dignity, Solidarity, and the teachings of Saint John Paul II.

Scriptural Reference

Luke 1:39-56 (Catholic RSV[i]):

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth.

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

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CST Reflection

Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth is a mysterious chronicle that highlights two important principles of Catholic Social Teaching, both of which are simply channeled through the feminine genius of a seemingly ordinary Jewish maiden: the Sanctity of Life and Human Dignity, and Solidarity.

In particular, the very human dignity of Mary’s womanhood is woven deeply into this Mystery as she demonstrates the quintessence of God’s design through her delicate application of what Saint John Paul II aptly described as the feminine genius in her gentle actions, exemplifying the quiet but wondrous contribution that women will always offer within the context of salvation history.

Even in her youth Mary sets a shining example of the role we are all called to play as members of the Church Pilgrim.

The angel Gabriel revealed to Our Lady during the Annunciation that Mary’s older cousin Elizabeth was also bearing a child. With haste Our Lady made the excursion to her cousin Elizabeth’s house whilst bearing Jesus Christ, King and Savior of the World, in her virginal womb. God, in his perfect wisdom, who handed Our Lady this task, provided Mary with the grace to convene with Elizabeth. When the two women met, John leapt in the womb of his mother Elizabeth, demonstrating his recognition of the humanity of Jesus Christ in Mary’s womb. Here, John not only acknowledges the existence of life within Mary’s womb, but also gives a testimony to his own capacity for excitement, passion, and spiritual experience, demonstrating that even he, a tiny and vulnerable unborn child has the capacity to worship and adore God. Thus one can confidently assert that all living humans, regardless of their level of vulnerability or capability are able to partake in knowing, loving and serving God in this life, and therefore that The Life and Dignity of All People must be guarded, protected and served at all cost.

Through the Visitation, we can also witness a perfect example of Solidarity; Mary does not sit back only to consider her own physical and spiritual needs (both of which must certainly have been great as she was tasked with bearing the Son of God in her womb after conceiving Him with the Holy Spirit), but instead she chose to set out in haste to serve her cousin. Pope Francis, who demonstrated a great love for simplicity and care for those in need, wrote the following in his work On Fraternity and Social Friendship from Fratelli Tutti: 

“Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community. It means that the lives of all are prior to the appropriation of goods by a few… Solidarity, understood in its most profound meaning, is a way of making history, and this is what popular movements are doing.”[ii]

Mary did not dash off a short note filled with well-wishes and post it via camel to support to her cousin, but rather she sacrificed her comfort and convenience to travel many miles in order to radically give herself and her gifts to her pregnant cousin. In doing so, as Pope Francis said, she made history.

Women are called to emulate Our Lady, Mother of God and Mother of all Men, and men in turn are called to look to women as spiritual mothers and models of Faith. Saint Pope John Paul II says the following in his Letter to Women:

“They [women] see others in their greatness and limitations; they try to go out to them and help them. In this way the basic plan of the Creator takes flesh in the history of humanity and there is constantly revealed, in the variety of vocations, that beauty - not merely physical, but above all spiritual - which God bestowed from the very beginning on all, and in a particular way on women.”

Let us gaze upon Our Lady’s demonstration of radical self-sacrifice to her cousin, and the beauty of her acts of service within which she perfectly demonstrated the virtue of Solidarity. Let us never forget that seemingly small acts of Solidarity are never really small, but rather are heroic, as exemplified by Mary’s service of her cousin which had an impact not only on Elizabeth and her little baby St. John, but also on the entirety of the Church for millenia to follow. Let us in turn reflect on the idea that the dignity of a person is deeply inherent regardless of a person's level of vulnerability or capability, as demonstrated by the unborn John the Baptist and Our Lord during the Visitation. Following the interaction between Jesus and John, this concept is made even clearer during Mary’s Magnificat when she states that God has “looked with favour upon the lowly...” Like all humans, we Catholics are made in the image of God, and thus are called to Imitatio Dei (imitation of God). We are all called to look with favour upon the lowly and to recognize the Dignity of All People, including the poor, the unborn, the disabled, the elderly, the marginalized, and all Children of God. Let us reflect on how a beautiful and humble Jewish maiden, the Mother of God and the epitome of feminine genius, tells us outright of the disposition that all are to have towards the Life and Dignity of all People, and provides us with a perfect example of loving our neighbors and community by acting in Solidarity with them.

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Fruits of the Mystery

Lord God, almighty Father, we pray in the name of your divine Son that by contemplating the selfless response of your daughter Mary to the needs of her cousin Elizabeth, we might be inspired to pay our full due to the needs of others, applying the full strength of our abilities in faithful conformance with your intentions and design.

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Credits

[i] Scriptural Reference: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=4782437

[ii] Pope Francis, Encyclical Fratelli Tutti – On Fraternity and Social Friendship (Vatican City, 2020)

Image:  The Visitation (Attributed to Master Heinrich of Constance (MET, 17.190.724) / Wikimedia Commons)