In the Second Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary, Visitation (Lk 1:39-45) Our Lady was carrying the baby Jesus within her. Ven. Fulton J. Sheen wrote: “For the nine months that he was cloistered within her, all the food, the wheat, the grapes that she consumed served as a kind of natural Eucharist, passing into him who later on was to declare that he was the Bread and the Wine of Life.”

Our Lady is the Ark of the New Covenant. The Ark of the Old Covenant contained the law of God inscribed in stone, while Mary’s womb contained the Word of God in flesh. In the ark was the urn of manna and in Mary’s womb was the Bread of Life. In the ark was the rod of Aaron – the proof of priesthood – and in Mary’s womb was the true priest.

In 2 Samuel 6:9 David said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” In Luke 1:43 Elizabeth said, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

“The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months” (2 Samuel 6:11) and “Mary remained with her about three months” (Luke 1:56). The place that housed the ark for three months was blessed, and Elizabeth uses the word “blessed” three times.

“David came dancing before the Lord with abandon, girt with a linen ephod.” (2 Samuel 6:14) and the infant John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41). An ephod was the clothing of a priest and John was from the priestly line of Aaron.

St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote, “The house of Obed-edom was blessed when it was visited by the ark of the Lord: The Lord blessed his house: ‘Benedixit Dominus domui ejus.’ But with how much greater blessings are those persons enriched who receive some loving visit from this living ark of God, as was the divine mother! Happy that house which the mother of God visits, wrote Engelgrave. This was experienced by the house of the Baptist, wherein scarcely had Mary entered, when she filled all that family with celestial graces and benedictions; and for this reason, the present feast of the Visitation is commonly called the feast of our Lady of graces.” 

Our Lady responded to the praises of Elizabeth with the humble prayer of the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).

St. Josemaría Escriva wrote, “How great is the value of humility! . . . It is not of her faith, nor of her charity, nor of her immaculate purity that our Mother speaks in the house of Zachary. Her joyful hymn sings: ‘Since he has looked on my humility, all generations will call me blessed.’” 

St. Bede said: “It was fitting, then, that just as death entered the world through the pride of our first parents, the entry of Life should be manifested by the humility of Mary” 

Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “The Magnificat … is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. Here we see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God. Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.” 

May we imitate the charity, humility, and prayerfulness of Our Lady.  


聖母謙遜之言

玫瑰經歡喜五端的第二端是聖母往見聖婦依撒伯爾。(路1:39-45)

聖母懷著耶穌的胎兒。可敬Fulton J. Sheen寫道:『耶穌在祂母親腹內的9個月中,她所吃喝的食物,小麥,葡萄成了自然的聖體,輸到給祂,曰後祂宣稱祂是生命的餅和酒。』

聖母是新約的約櫃。舊約的約櫃存放著天主的誡的命,刻在石板上而聖母的胎中的血肉中藏著天主的聖言。在約櫃中是瑪納的容器,在瑪利亞胎中是生命之糧。在約櫃中是亞郎的手枚…司祭職的憑證,在瑪利亞胎中是真正的司祭。

在撒慕爾紀下 6:9達味說:『上主的約櫃如何能進入我那裏﹖』路加1:43依撒伯爾說『吾主的母親駕臨我這裡,這是我那裡得來的呢?』

『上主的約櫃在加特人敖貝得厄東家中,存放了三個月,上主祝福了敖貝得厄東和他的全家。』(撒下 6:11),『瑪利亞同依撒伯爾住了三個月左右,就回本家去了。 』(路 1:56)那恭放約櫃三個月的地方承蒙了祝福,依撒伯爾也三次說「福」。

『同時達味束著細麻的「厄弗得」,在上主面前盡力跳舞。 』(撒下6:14)嬰孩若翰在腹中歡躍(路 1:41)。厄弗得是司祭的祭衣,若翰是亞郎祭司的族裔。

聖亞爾豐索寫道:『加特人敖貝得厄東家人在約櫃探訪時蒙受了祝福:天主降福他的家。但所有人蒙受的祝福是怎樣比得上天主活生生約櫃親自到訪的天主之母!恩格爾格雷夫寫道:天主聖母到訪的房舍是喜樂的。若翰洗者的家曾有此經歷,瑪利亞僅僅進去他的家,便把整個家庭注滿上天的恩典和祝福;為此,聖母到訪的瞻禮,一般稱為聖母恩典瞻禮。』

聖母以謙遜的祈禱,聖母謝主曲(路1:46-55)回應依撒伯爾的讚美。

聖施禮華寫:『謙遜是何等的偉大!…她在匝加利亞家裡不談自己的信德,或愛德,或無罪的純潔,她的喜樂頌唱:「因為他垂顧了她婢女的卑微,今後萬世萬代都要稱我有福」。』

聖伯達說:『這是適當的,死亡因為我們原祖父母的驕傲進入世界,生命因瑪利亞的謙遜得以彰顯。』

教宗本篤十六世寫道:『那謝主曲…完全是由聖經編織而成,每一縷都由天主聖言而來。這裡你可看見聖母對天主聖言是何等的自在,她安逸地進入進出。她按天主聖言說話和思考;天主聖言成了她的說話,她的說話發自天主聖言。這裡我們可見她的思維是怎樣心領神會自天主的思維中,她的意願怎樣跟天主的意願同出一轍。天主聖言完全灌輸於瑪利亞,因此她可以成為天主降世的母親。』 

願我們效法聖母的愛德,謙遜和祈禱精神。