Feast of the Visitation

	How did Mary's human nature accept what God asked of her? If Saint Luke the evangelist tells us about this visit of Mary to Elizabeth, it is certainly not for the sake of an anecdote (…) He wants us to understand something that touches upon the economy of Salvation and prepares for the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Similarly, it isn't by accident that the Virgin Mary's song of thanksgiving appears at the end of the story of that visit, as the conclusion of the cycle of annunciations. (…) To understand why the Visitation prepares the way for the Magnificat, we must first use our imagination a little. We know the end of the story, for whom everything has been accomplished regarding Salvation, and for whom the Holy Spirit was poured in our hearts. But how did the Virgin Mary understand from the beginning what was happening when she saw an angel appear suddenly in her house of Nazareth and announce to her that she would be the mother of the Savior? (…) And even if the dialogue ended well in the order of grace (“Let it be done to me according to thy word” (Lk 1:38), how did Mary's human nature accept what God was asking of her? (…) Could Mary see clearly all by herself? (…) Elizabeth said a word that confirmed what the Angel Gabriel had said: “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Lk 1: 43-44). Immediately, Mary knew that she hadn't been the victim of an illusion, a fixed idea or a dream, but that it truly was God's work that was being accomplished. There is more. Through the recognition that she received by someone else, Mary also discovered that the child in Elizabeth's womb already recognized her son. The reader of the Gospel understands that that child, who would be the greatest among the prophets, already gave witness to the fact that the one that Mary is expecting is truly the Son of God. This is why Mary's song of praise could now spring up. (…). Andre Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris Basilica of the Visitation of Annecy-Monday, May 31 2010