The Feast of the Visitation – Mother Mary brings Jesus to Elizabeth

The Visitation

“My Soul magnifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”

Reflecting on the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the little virgin from Nazareth begins to grow overwhelmingly in our eyes.  We see the obedience of Mary!   At the Annunciation, recognizing the Angel as a messenger of God, she had said yes to bearing the Son of God.  When the Angel Gabriel told her that her cousin Elizabeth was with child, she trusted in his word knowing he was from God.  Because she, like the other people of Israel, had been preparing for the Messiah, and had studied the Word, she knew the Lord would have wanted her to go and serve her cousin; and so she obeyed, once more.  As we walk through the rose petals that make up the Rosary, we will encounter the many times Mary obeyed.  As we learn more about Jesus, we realize that His Life was our path to Heaven.  As you walk with Mary,  you will discover she knows the way.

We see the selflessness of Mary in action.  Her choice to be for her cousin Elizabeth during her pregnancy, shows an unconditional caring for others, that we’ve only seen in One other Person in the history of the world, her Son Jesus.

But, there was something else.  Although there was a familial bond between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, we believe there was another bond, which had been molded in Heaven.  The plan to have the Angel tell Mary of her cousin’s pregnancy had to begin in Heaven.  Can we not see God formulating His plan?  The son of Elizabeth would be the one who would herald the Messiah, the Son of Mary, into the world.

Neither of these women should have been pregnant.  Mary was a virgin; Elizabeth was barren.  There had to be a Heavenly connection between them.  Is this why the Angel told Mary about her cousin being “with child”?  Did the Lord want her to go and serve her cousin Elizabeth?  Were she and Elizabeth part of a particular plan of the Father’s?  Had an Angel told Elizabeth, when she conceived, that her child would be special, too?  Were these things going through Mary’s mind, as she proceeded on her appointed mission?

When we see statues or paintings of Mary, for the most part, they depict a very delicate, almost dresden-like Mary.  And I am sure, she had all those qualities.  But  Mother Mary was also strong!  We will see, as we journey in faith with her and her Son through the Rosary, how very strong she was.  The trip from Nazareth to Ein Karem, where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived, was long and dangerous.  Mary had to travel through the mountains of Judea, past Jerusalem.  Today, it is a challenge.  In the time of Jesus and Mary, with dirt roads, cut out by people travelling by donkey or by foot, it had to be hazardous for someone with child.  But Mary did not think, for one moment, about her comfort.  The Angel had told her of her cousin’s need and she said yes, one more time.

 

Readers Comments:

“I never knew that the Rosary was about the life of Jesus and Mary.” “They never taught us about the Rosary in RCIA classes!” “I thought I knew everything about the Rosary, until I read this book.” “I couldn’t put the book down.” “Each time I read it, it means something different to me.” “I walked the Way of the Cross with Jesus and Mother Mary and I have not gotten over it yet.”

 

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The Visitation – May 31

“My Soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”

Reflecting on the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the little virgin from
Nazareth begins to grow overwhelmingly in our eyes. We see the obedience of
Mary!
At the Annunciation, recognizing the Angel as a messenger of God, she
had said yes to bearing the Son of God. When the Angel Gabriel told her that
her cousin Elizabeth was with child, she trusted in his word knowing he was from
God. Because she, like the other people of Israel, had been preparing for the
Messiah, and had studied the Word, she knew the Lord would have wanted her to go
and serve her cousin; and so she obeyed, once more. As we walk through the rose
petals that make up the Rosary, we will encounter the many times Mary obeyed.
As we learn more about Jesus, we realize that His Life was our path to Heaven.
As you walk with Mary, you will discover she knows the way.
We see the selflessness of Mary in action. Her choice to be for her cousin
Elizabeth during her pregnancy shows an unconditional caring for others, that
we’ve only seen in One other Person in the history of the world, her Son Jesus.
But, there was something else. Although there was a familial bond between
Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, we believe there was another bond, which had
been molded in Heaven. The plan to have the Angel tell Mary of her cousin’s
pregnancy had to begin in Heaven. Can we not see God formulating His plan? The
son of Elizabeth would be the one who would herald the Messiah, the Son of Mary,
into the world.
Neither of these women should have been pregnant. Mary was a virgin; Elizabeth
was barren. There had to be a Heavenly connection between them. Is this
why the Angel told Mary about her cousin being “with child”? Did the Lord
want her to go and serve her cousin Elizabeth? Were she and Elizabeth part
of a particular plan of the Father’s? Had an Angel told Elizabeth, when she
conceived, that her child would be special, too? Were these things going
through Mary’s mind, as she proceeded on her appointed mission?
When we see statues or paintings of Mary, for the most part, they depict a very
delicate, almost Dresden-like Mary. And I am sure, she had all those qualities.
But Mother Mary was also strong! We will see, as we journey in faith with her
and her Son through the Rosary, how very strong she was. The trip from Nazareth
to Ein Karem, where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived, was long and dangerous. Mary
had to travel through the mountains of Judea, past Jerusalem. Today, it is a
challenge. In the time of Jesus and Mary, with dirt roads, cut out by people
traveling by donkey or by foot, it had to be hazardous for someone with child.
But Mary did not think, for one moment, about her comfort. The Angel had told
her of her cousin’s need and she said yes, one more time.
There was a radiance about Mary as she traveled to her cousin’s house. The
words of the Angel echoed in her soul:
“Do not fear, Mary. You have found favor with God. You shall conceive and
bear a Son and give Him the name Jesus…..He will rule over the house of Jacob
forever, and His reign will have no end….The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence, the holy offspring to
be born will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1:30)
Mary proceeded, in haste, to fulfill the Angel’s command, never once looking
back. The Angel had told her not to be afraid. And she trusted his message,
knowing it was from the Lord. Mary believed, the Lord would take care of her
and her unborn Child. She knew that the Child she was carrying had the special
protection of the Father’s “Heavenly Army of Angels.” What then was there to
fear?
Son of God! She couldn’t get these words out of her mind. Her senses reeled at
the thought. She was to be the mother of the Son of God. It was incredible!
She was carrying God inside her body. What would He be like? How would their
life together, be?
As soon as Elizabeth saw her, “the baby leapt in her womb. She was filled with
the Holy Spirit.” This was to fulfill the prophecy the Angel Gabriel gave to
Zechariah,
“…and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb.”
Tradition tells us that, at this meeting with Jesus, while both were still in
their mothers’ wombs, John was freed from original sin. While he was conceived
with sin, we are told he was born without sin.
There was immediate recognition between the two unborn babies, John and
Jesus. A bond between the two children, conceived in Heaven before the dawn
of creation, was affirmed at this meeting, and further confirmed at the Jordan
River some thirty years later. Thus did Jesus say of John, “In truth I tell
you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than
John the Baptist.”
A similar bond was forged between Mary and Elizabeth. The skies opened; the
brilliance of the Holy Spirit descended on both women. It was as if Mary and
Elizabeth were given total knowledge of God’s plan, through the movement of the
Spirit. Whatever had not been revealed to them before, suddenly became crystal
clear.

Elizabeth cried out in a loud voice:
“Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb. But who am I
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The moment your greeting sounded
in my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy. Blest is she who trusted that
the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.”
There is so much in this statement of Elizabeth’s. Scripture scholars tell us
that Elizabeth’s meaning in her first sentence was: “Blest are you among women”
because “blest is the Fruit of your womb”. With this declaration, Elizabeth
prophesied Mary’s future role in the world, and in the Church, that Mary would
be blessed among all women. It is true that Mary said yes to the Angel Gabriel.
But, it was by the Fruit of her womb, she was blessed among all women. Mother
Mary will tell you that, of herself, she is nothing. She always points to her
Son. She is the intercessor to her Son; she is not the One Who brings about
miracles, Who heals, Who forgives, Who gives us life. She points to her Son.
A priest once said, “What did Mother Mary do? She stood there and allowed the
Holy Spirit to fill her. And because of this, the world will never be the
same.” One name that our Mother appeared under, was “Our Lady of Hope”. She
is our Mother who turns to her Son Jesus, and through His love for her, we have
hope that He will give us another chance. Like Abraham and Moses, she is always
asking for another chance for her children, you and me.

For more about our Rosary Book click here http://www.bobandpennylord.com/rosary.htm

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Pray the Rosary

Since May is the month of Mary and she has urged us to “Pray the Rosary.” We thought we would add an excerpt from our book, “The Rosary the Life of Jesus and Mary,” on how to pray the Rosary.

You may want to pass this on to your friends that do not know how to pray the Rosary.
On Monday and Saturday, pray the Joyful Mysteries; Tuesday and Friday, the Sorrowful;

Thurday the Luminous Mysteries

Wednesday and Sunday, the Glorious; or say all 20 decades each day.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.
2. Recite the “Apostles Creed”. (holding the Crucifix)
3. Recite the “Our Father”. (Large Bead)
4. Recite 3 “Hail Marys”. (Small Beads)
5. Recite the “Glory Be to the Father”.
6. Say Fatima Prayer and Short Prayer to Mary (optional)
7. Announce the First Mystery of the Joyful Mysteries
8. Recite the “Our Father”. (Large Bead)
9. Say 10 “Hail Marys” (Small Beads)
10. Recite the “Glory Be to the Father”.
11. Then pray the Fatima Prayer (optional)
12. Then pray a Short Prayer to Mary (optional)
13. Announce the Second Mystery of The Joyful Mysteries
14. Repeat 7-8-9-10-11-12
15. Then repeat the same prayers as you meditate on all the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries.
16. After the five (or fifteen) decades are finished,
Pray the Hail Holy Queen
17. Pray the Memorare
18. V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
R. That we maybe worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY
O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and Resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers of the Holy Rosary

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven; sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the Resurrection of the body; and life everlasting. Amen.”

THE OUR FATHER
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven; hallowed by Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.”

THE HAIL MARY
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

THE GLORY BE TO THE FATHER
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

THE FATIMA PRAYER
“Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.”

A SHORT PRAYER TO MARY
“Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us, or Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us, or Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us, or
Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us, etc
any other title of Our Lady you would like to use”

THE HAIL HOLY QUEEN
“Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs; mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy Womb, Jesus.
O Clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.”

THE MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother.
To thee, I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. AMEN

The Joyful Mysteries

First Joyful – The Annunciation
Second Joyful – The Visitation
Third Joyful – The Birth of Jesus
Fourth Joyful – The Presentation in the Temple
Fifth Joyful – The finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Luminous Mysteries

First Luminous – Baptism in the Jordan river
Second Luminous – Marriage Feast at Cana
Third Luminous – Proclaimation of the coming of the Kingdom of God
Fourth Luminous – Transfiguration
Fifth Luminous – Institution of the Holy Eucharist

The Sorrowful Mysteries

First Sorrowful – Agony in the Garden
Second Sorrowful – Scourging at the Pillar

Third Sorrowful – Crowning with thorns

Fourth Sorrowful – Jesus carries the Cross

Fifth Sorrowful – Jesus dies on the Cross

The Glorious Mysteries
First Glorious – The Resurrection of Jesus
Second Glorious – The Ascension
Third Glorious – Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
Fourth Glorious – The Assumption
Fitth Glorious – The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

For more information on our book, “The Rosary, the Life of Jesus and Mary.” click here

You also may be interested in obtaining some of the famous St. Clare of Montefalco Rosaries, click here for more information