Feast of the Visitation

May 31

– Compiled under the direction of Father Johann Roten, S.M.

This index of material included in the All About Mary website, brings together resources that pertain to this feast. Additional resources may also be available by using the provided search tools.

Magisterial Documents

Theme: The Life of Mary: Visitation (Mary's Service)
Among the document references, this from Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." (Jn 1:6) John was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" (Lk. 1:15, 41) by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to His people. (Cf. Lk. 1:68) 717
See: Magisterial Documents: The Life of Mary

Theme: The Life of Mary: Visitation (Elizabeth's Perspective)
Among the document references, this from Redemptoris Mater :
"And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Lk.1:43) Elizabeth bears witness to Mary: she recognizes and proclaims that before her stands the Mother of the Lord, the Mother of the Messiah. The son whom Elizabeth is carrying in her womb also shares in this witness: "The babe in my womb leaped for joy" (Lk. 1:44). 12
See: Magisterial Documents: The Life of Mary

Theme: The Life of Mary: Magnificat Song
Among the document references, this from Marialis Cultus:
Magnificat (exemplar of the Church, esp in liturgy) the Virgin in prayer .... "In her exultation Mary prophetically declared in the name of the Church: 'My soul proclaims the glory of the Lord...'" (Adversus Haereses III). And in fact Mary's hymn has spread far See: Magisterial Documents: The Life of Mary

Theme: The Role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Catechetics
A Synod of Bishops --1977; Oral Intervention by John Joseph Cardinal Carberry, Archbishop of St. Louis:
Within the document it states: "Here, again, Mary in the mystery of the Visitation, of Cana, of Calvary, is the ideal image for our young people to whom we proclaim the Word of God."
See: Catechetics: Mary's Role

Meditations

The "Merciless" Magnificat
The text contains: Mary's song is the "magna charta" of any and all authentic faith experiences. It is a description of the two columns upon which rests the weight of God's grace in this world; it pictures the two wings on which the soul is elevated toward her final encounter with God..... See Magnificat Reflection

Prayer

Rosary
The Visitation mystery as based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. See: Rosary: Mystery Reflections

Image shown: Visitation, Raphael