The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast day: May 31
Patron of expectant mothers, pregnancy, mothers, the unborn, pro-life movement, service, families
Their story
After the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, he also told her that her elderly relative Elizabeth, who had been unable to have children, was now six months pregnant. St. Luke tells us that Mary set out in haste to the hill country of Judea to visit her. It was a journey of several days. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the child in Elizabeth's womb, the future John the Baptist, leaped for joy. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cried out, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb," words we repeat in every Hail Mary. Mary answered with a great song of praise, the Magnificat: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." She praised God for lifting up the lowly and filling the hungry with good things. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, helping her, and then returned home. The Visitation is the second Joyful Mystery of the rosary. It shows us Mary carrying Christ to others and serving those in need, and it shows even the unborn John recognizing his Lord. The feast was first celebrated in the fourteenth century, when the Church prayed for an end to the Great Western Schism. Since 1969 it has been kept on May 31, between the Annunciation in March and the birth of John the Baptist in June.
A prayer for intercession
Mary, Mother of God, you hurried to serve your cousin Elizabeth and carried Jesus to her home. Pray for expectant mothers and for all unborn children. Teach us to bring Christ to others, to serve those in need without delay, and to rejoice in God's goodness with your Magnificat. Help us to recognize your Son whenever He comes to us. Amen.