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| Mosaic in the Garden of the Church of the Visitation, Ein Karem |
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.
Romans 12: 9-16
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| Church of the Visitation, Ein Karem |
…You have climbed this hill where you spiritually relived, as the Evangelist Luke recounts, the experience of Mary from Nazareth in Galilee, who "went with haste into the hill country" (Lk 1: 39) to reach the village in Judea where Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah. What drove Mary, a young woman, to undertake that journey? What, above all, led her to forget herself, to spend the first three months of her pregnancy at the service of her cousin in need of help?
The response is written in a Psalm: "I will run in the way of your commands when you enlarged my understanding" (Ps 119[118]: 32). The Holy Spirit, who makes the Son of God present in Mary's flesh, enlarged her heart to God's dimensions and urged her along the way of charity.
The Visitation of Mary is understood in light of the event that immediately preceded it in Luke's account in the Gospel: the Annunciation of the Angel and the conception of Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit descended upon the Virgin, the power of the Most High overshadowed her (cf. Lk 1: 35).
That same Spirit impelled her to "rise" and depart without hesitation (cf. Lk 1: 39) in order to help her aged relative. Jesus had just begun to form himself in the womb of Mary, but his Spirit had already filled her heart so that the Mother was already beginning to follow her divine Son. On the way that leads from Galilee to Judea it was Jesus himself who "urged" Mary on, instilling in her a generous desire to go to the aid of her neighbour in need, the courage not to put her own legitimate needs, difficulties, worries, the dangers to her own life first. It is Jesus who helped her to overcome everything, allowing her to be guided by faith that works through charity (cf. Gal 5: 6).
Meditating on this mystery we see why Christian charity is a "theological" virtue. We see that the heart of Mary is visited by the grace of the Father, is permeated by the power of the Spirit and interiorly compelled by the Son; that is, we see a perfectly human heart inserted into the dynamism of the Most Holy Trinity.
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary31 May 2007
For the complete text please visit:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2007/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20070531_mese-mariano_en.htmlHis Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for June is:
“That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life”.+
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| Mosaic floor detail, Church of the Visitation |
L’Osservatore Romano: An insert for women
For the first time in its more than 100-year-old history, beginning 30 May 2012 the Italian daily edition of L’Osservatore Romano will publish an insert intended for women in the issue of the last Thursday of every month. It will consist of four pages in full colour, conceived of and edited with enthusiasm and determination by several women colleagues, to extend the outlook of the Holy See's newspaper to ”women, Church, world”. This is in fact the title of this new initiative….
The insert places the new project explicitly under the sign of Mary, the most perfect human creature who, before the mystery of her son, the definitive revelation, “kept all these things pondering them in her heart”.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.news.va/en/news/an-insert-for-women+
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| Iron Gate, Church of the Visitation |
During my most recent pilgrimage to Ein Karem, the village where Mary went to visit Elizabeth, the view of the hill country, usually seen from the gates of the Church of the Visitation, was partially obscured by a sandstorm that was blowing across the Holy Land from Saudi Arabia. A yellowish-gray “smog” hung overhead in place of a clear blue sky. Drinking water offered relief from the sandy feeling in my throat, though other pilgrims found respite by eating gelato or ice cream, which looked like a very delicious option.
From the vantage point on top of the hill (or mountain, depending on your perspective) it is awe-inspiring that Mary would have traveled such a great distance across country, in haste, to be with Elizabeth. But our Blessed Mother has a way of simply and lovingly doing God’s will without hesitation. She models the virtues expressed by St. Paul to the Romans (12: 9-16). She understands and has experienced the “storms” of life. She will always point us to the “water of life” and guide us “to do whatever He tells you”.
May we prayerfully unite our heart to the heart of Mary which “is visited by the grace of the Father, is permeated by the power of the Spirit and interiorly compelled by the Son….”
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| Wall Tiles of the Magnificat in many languages surround the courtyard of the Church of the Visitation. |
