- St. Bernadino Realino (1616). Priest. (Historical)
- Sts. Processus & Martinian (67). Martyr. (Traditional)
- Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth (0). (Traditional)
THE angel Gabriel, in the mystery of the Annunciation, informed the Mother of God that her cousin Elizabeth had miraculously conceived, and was then pregnant with a son who was to be the precursor of the Messiah. The Blessed Virgin out of humility concealed the wonderful dignity to which she was raised by the incarnation of the Son of God in her womb, but, in the transport of her holy joy and gratitude, determined she would go to congratulate the mother of the Baptist. “Mary therefore arose,” saith St. Luke, “and with haste went into the hilly country into a city of Judea, and, entering into the house of Zachary, saluted Elizabeth.” What a blessing did the presence of the God-man bring to this house, the first which He honored in His humanity with His visit! But Mary is the instrument and means by which He imparts to it His divine benediction, to show us that she is a channel through which He delights to communicate to us His graces, and to encourage us to ask them of Him through her intercession. At the voice of the Mother of God, but by the power and grace of her divine Son in her womb, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and the Infant in her womb conceived so great a joy as to leap and exult. At the same time, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and by His infused light she understood the great mystery of the Incarnation which God had wrought in Mary, whom humility prevented from disclosing it even to a Saint, and an intimate friend. In raptures of astonishment, Elizabeth pronounced her blessed above all other women, and cried out, “Whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary, hearing her own praise, sunk the lower in the abyss of her nothingness, and in the transport of her humility, and melting in an ecstasy of love and gratitude, burst into that admirable canticle, the Magnificat. Mary stayed with her cousin almost three month after which she returned to Nazareth.
REFLECTION: Whilst with the Church we praise God for the mercies and wonders which He wrought in this mystery, we ought to apply ourselves to the imitation of the virtues of which Mary sets us a perfect example. From her we ought particularly to learn the lessons by which we shall sanctify our visits and conversation, actions which are to so many Christians the sources of innumerable dangers and sins.
WORD OF THE DAY
BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. Mother of Jesus Christ and greatest of the Christian saints. The title "Mary" occurs only once in the Old Testament as the name of Moses’ sister (Exodus 15:20). Its etymology has been variously traced to mean beautiful, bitter, rebellion, illuminatrix, lady, and beloved of God. Scholars prefer the last meaning, derived from the Egyptian, which may be explained by the four hundred years’ sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt.
The Gospel account of Mary’s life begins with the appearance of the archangel Gabriel in Nazareth to announce the choice of her as mother of the Messiah. Though espoused to Joseph, she intended to remain a virgin and asked for an explanation. The angel assured her that this would be done by the power of the Most High, at which Mary gave her consent: "Be it done to me according to your word."
On her visit to Elizabeth, Mary sang the Magnificat, "My soul magnifies the Lord," which recalls the canticle of Anna, mother of Samuel the prophet (I Kings 2:1-10) .When she returned to Nazareth, Joseph realized that Mary was pregnant and thought of putting her away privately until an angel appeared to him and revealed the mystery.
In obedience to a census decree of Augustus, Mary and Joseph, who were both of Davidic descent, went to David’s city of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born in a stable. Forty days later Mary, in the company of Joseph, came to the temple in Jerusalem to be purified according to the law of Moses, and to offer her son to the Lord together with a sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. At this presentation, the old man Simeon took Jesus in his arms and foretold Mary’s share in the future sufferings of her son.
During the hidden life of Christ, the Gospels are silent about Mary except for one dramatic incident when Jesus was twelve years old. Finding him in the temple in the midst of the doctors, his mother asked him why he had done this. In their first recorded dialogue, Jesus replied that he must be about his Father’s business.
Mary was with Christ at the beginning of his public life, when through her intercession he changed water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee. She was in his company at Capharnaum for a short time, and on occasion followed him in his ministry.
She stood beneath the cross on Calvary and was placed in the care of the Apostle John, being told, "Behold your son." After the Ascension of Christ into heaven, Mary waited in Jerusalem with the Apostles and disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit. From then on there are no further biographical data about Mary in the
New Testament, except for the mystical references to the "woman" in St. John’s Apocalypse, and St. Paul’s description to the Galatians of Christ as "made of a woman."
According to tradition, Mary lived for a time in or near Ephesus, but her permanent home after Pentecost seems to have been Jerusalem. There is no certain place or date for Mary’s death, although Ephesus and twelve years after Christ’s Ascension appear the most likely.
Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon SJ (Get the real one at Eternal Life — don’t accept an abridged or edited version of this masterpiece!)
July, Month of the Precious Blood
The Precious BIood of Jesus – Short Meditations for July. July 2d — The Eternity of the Precious Blood.
This article, JULY 2, 2025 – THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/july-2-2025-the-visitation-of-the-blessed-virgin/
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