THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2 July 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Today we honor and celebrate Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary carried hidden within her womb God Himself, and Elizabeth carried His precursor — Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel (Saint Luke 1, 39-47) recorded the beautiful and moving exchange of greetings. "When Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb: and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit: and she cried out with a loud voice, and said: 'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.' ... "

The Archangel Gabriel gave us God's greeting to Mary at the Annunciation: "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee." And to this salutation, we join Elizabeth's greeting: "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." In the Hail Mary or Angelic Salutation, we frequently honor Mary as the Virgin Mother of God. We are reminded of her many special prerogatives stemming from this wonderful gift God gave her.

Our thoughts cannot help being drawn to the Incarnation, and joy fills our hearts as we contemplate The Son of God coming to join us in this earthly life to redeem us, to open the gates of Heaven, and to lead us in the life that we must follow to enter Eternal Happiness.

Today's feast vividly reminds us of the blessings that come forth from God for our benefit. At the mere sound of the Mother of God's voice, the infant in the womb of Elizabeth leaped for joy. The Holy Ghost entered Elizabeth because of the physical nearness of God, and even her son within her womb was thereby sanctified before he was born. All of this took place with God's presence here on earth, even though He was hidden from view inside the blessed womb of Mary.

This same Son of God is present but hidden from our view in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Are we as eager to be in His presence as Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist were? He is the same Son of God. He is living — Body, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist. No one had yet seen Jesus, but they all knew and experienced His presence among them, and joy filled their hearts. It is unnecessary for us to physically see Him in the Blessed Sacrament to know He is there or to experience the graces that flow from His very Presence. Our hearts should be joyful to come before Jesus in the holy Tabernacle, just as Elizabeth's heart was when she was in the presence of Mary, the living Tabernacle of Jesus.

Not only can we be in His Presence, but we are also offered the opportunity to welcome Him into our bodies and become like the Blessed Virgin Mary — living Tabernacles of Jesus by receiving Him in Holy Communion. When we receive Jesus into our bodies in Holy Communion, our souls should magnify the Lord just as Mary did in her Magnificat. "My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."

We should do all we can to prepare our souls to receive Him before Holy Communion by a humble examination of conscience, Confession and penance. Knowing that it is God's Will that we receive Him in Holy Communion, we should strive to humbly give our fiat as Mary did in the Annunciation — be it done unto me according to Thy Word. Once we have received Him, we should humbly rejoice in our soul with our own Magnificat.

Having received Jesus, we need to take Him out into the world with us. He is to accompany us as we visit or interact with each other. The Divinity is too great to be contained within our miserable souls. Keeping Jesus alive within us keeps the graces overflowing in our hearts and souls — in a sense, compelling us to share our abundance with everyone around us.

Nothing of Jesus is lost when we each receive Him into our bodies, and nothing is lost when we share the graces we receive from Him. On the contrary, the more who worthily receive Jesus in Holy Communion, the more God's Presence abounds around us; and the more we share the blessings and graces we have received, the more blessings and graces there are. When we give our love, our love is not lost or lessened; it is only increased. God gave us His love in the Human Person of Jesus Christ, and His love expanded out from Mary's womb to all who came near her. Shortly after the Annunciation and Incarnation, Mary was compelled by love to visit Elizabeth to help her. The love of God poured forth into Elizabeth's soul and even into St. John the Baptist — the infant in Elizabeth's womb.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!