The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – July 2, 2025

1 Samuel 2; Song of Solomon 2:8b-14

St. Luke 1:39-56

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When the Blesséd Virgin Mary enters the home of Zacharias, she is greeted by her relative, Elizabeth, with a blessing, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”[1] Some have understood this blessing as strictly referring to the child in Mary’s womb. Mary is blessed because her Son is blessed. And there is certainly truth in that understanding, truth that I will address in a minute. But where I think such an understanding is lacking is that it does not give attention to the dual nature of Elizabeth’s blessing. She is praising God and imparting a blessing on both the mother and the child, something that is worth a bit of our attention.

In what ways is Blesséd Mary blessed? First, she is blessed in the way all mothers are blessed. Children are a heritage from the Lord and a blessing to mothers and fathers, alike. They are the continuation of your lineage and of all the blessings given to you in this life, they are the only one you can take with you into heaven. They are bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh, not joined into one flesh by God (as with holy marriage), but being generated by your own being. God is certainly the cause of children, but He does not take two formerly distinct persons and join them into one flesh but rather takes what has been joined in holy marriage and brings forth from this united flesh a new person.

Yet this is the least of the blessings to which Elizabeth is referring. She says, “Blessed are you among women,” meaning, “You have received a greater blessing than all other mothers.” Elizabeth recognizes that the child in Mary’s womb is the God-Man, God Incarnate. Of all the women in all creation, from Eve down to the last little girl to be born before the end of the age, Mary holds a unique position. She is the mother of God. It was given to her to bear the Christ. She is the ark of the Old Testament, bearing in her womb the very presence of God, wrapped in flesh. She will give her bone and her flesh to the Christ, who will take away her sin and the sins of the world. This is a higher blessing and honor than that given to every other mother in the world.

Such a statement shouldn’t bother you, though it might. The Marian errors of the Roman Catholic Church shouldn’t prevent you from the truth of the Scriptures, “Blessed is Mary among women.” Just as not all men are called to be kings yet David was king after God’s own heart; just as not all men are called to be translated body and soul into heaven prior to the resurrection yet Enoch walked with God; just as not all men are called to build a Temple for the earthly dwelling of God yet Solomon did just that; so too, not all women are called to bear the Christ yet the Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of God.

And that was not on account of her greatness. It was not on account of her particular holiness or sinlessness. It was not even on account of her heroic faith, as though it were a virtue she had worked hard to strengthen over the early years of her life. It is a mystery as to why this specific maiden was chosen to be the mother of God. What we do know is that it relates to the fact that she was of the lineage of David and that she was of no great status. She was a lowly handmaiden, signifying in her sinful flesh the exact “type” of people for whom the Christ came. You should never reduce our forefathers and foremothers in the faith to paper cut-outs of the “everyman,” because they are real people. This is important because if they are real people, then Christ came to save real people. And if Christ came to save, to visit, to dwell with real people, then He came to save, visit, and dwell with you.

 With that clearly understood, then we can also understand how Mary is blessed because the Child in her womb is blessed. He is the source of every grace and blessing. This blesséd child is the source of Mary’s own blessing. How is the fruit of Mary’s womb blessed? “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”[2] God is the most common recipient of blessing in all of the Scriptures. A very wooden translation of this word, “bless,” would be “good words are spoken of” the one being blessed, but that translation only goes so far. These “good words” are praises of eternal good, not merely temporal benefits. To be blessed speaks of being rightly ordered according to God’s holy will and to be one who dwells in the light of Truth. To bless God is to praise His very divinity and to be blessed by God is to be drawn into the same.

Now, blessing Mary and her Son was not the only thing Elizabeth said. She followed her blessing with these words, “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”[3] This question is as important as the blessing. It is a statement of Elizabeth’s humility and is in keeping with the song of Mary, the Magnificat. Both women are keenly aware that they are not worthy to be in the presence of the Almighty God, wrapped in the flesh of Mary’s womb. This humility is not self-abasement nor a virtue signal as though they are just saying the right words that were expected by God. Elizabeth and Mary know the sinfulness of their own hearts. They know that the Creator of Heaven and Earth deserves to sit not in the womb of a lowly virgin or visit a dusty hut in the hill country of Judah, but to sit enthroned in the great majesty of the Temple in Jerusalem, surrounded by kings and priests.

It takes a great act of humility to confess your sins and your sinfulness. It takes an honest reflection on your own soul to admit that you have not kept the Word of God purely; that you have treated your neighbor with disdain; that you have hated the very gifts which God has given you. Such humility is necessary in all who would be called by the name of Christ, that is, all Christians. It is necessary because Christ came to save sinners. He who is without sin is without the need for a Savior. There will never be a time on this side of glory when you have no need of humble repentance.

This is why the Son of God descended into the flesh of a lowly maiden. It is why this humble maiden visited her elderly relative in a backwoods, hill country village. The mighty are put down from their thrones but the lowly are exalted. The personal suffering of the Christian is given by God to tear down any thought that she can rely on herself in this temporal life, let alone in eternal life. The original sin in the garden was an act of self-sufficiency, explaining why self-reliance is such an enduring, perpetual temptation. Wallowing in self-pity and blaming God for your circumstances is another way of saying, “God, I’ve done my part, why aren’t you blessing me more?” Notice how that is the opposite of what Elizabeth says, “Why is this great blessing granted to me?”

What you can do, is attend to the vocations you’ve been given. Now that might require a change of thought or a change of habit, or a dedicated effort to do those things you’ve neglected. But at the end of the day, faithfully attending to your vocation may not change the circumstances of your suffering. If it did, there would certainly be a temptation to think that it was your work to improve yourself that relieved your suffering. That is not a condemnation of self-improvement, it is a warning against any thought that your work makes the world better. All glory is given to God. “Why has this been given to me? I am but a lowly mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, worker, employer, etc.”

What a great joy and blessing it is to be here with all of you tonight. You are in the house of the Lord, hearing His Word and receiving His visitation. Why is this granted to me, a sinner, that the Lord should come to me in this place, giving me His eternal inheritance when I am nothing but a lowly servant? The Lord has kept His promise to Abraham and to our fathers, helping His people, Israel (the Church), in remembrance of His mercy. Why has this been granted to me, that the Son of God would visit, dwell, and save a sinner such as me? What a glorious mystery to celebrate with all of you.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 1:42.

[2] Psalm 103:1.

[3] St. Luke 1:43.

The Commemoration of All Saints

The Commemoration of All Saints (Obs.) – November 6, 2022

Psalm 31; Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3

St. Matthew 5:1-12

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The “Church Triumphant” is a term referring to the saints in glory. These Christians have come out of the great tribulation, rest from their labors, are before the throne of God day and night, neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. The sun does not strike them, nor any heat, and God has wiped away every tear from their eyes. The Church Triumphant are presently gathered with angels and archangels in the eternal worship of the Lamb seated on the throne. The Church Triumphant have shed their sin-stained rages and put on the white robes won for them by the death of Jesus.

The “Church Militant” are the Christians on this side of glory. We are the Church Militant, who are amid the great tribulation, who struggle against our own sin, who struggle against the sinful world seeking to claim ou r souls for hell, who must cling to the Word of God as a sure and certain promise of eternity, who receive the Body and Blood of Jesus with the eyes of faith but whose physical eyes see only through a mirror dimly. Our white robes were won on the cross and given to us in Holy Baptism, but we must await to don them until our own transition into the Church Triumphant.

These terms, Church Militant and Church Triumphant, are very helpful. Militant reminds us that on this side of glory we are never without a struggle. The Church is continually in battle. Individuals must daily fight against sin – your own and the sins of others against you. As the Body of Christ, the Church Militant must daily fight against false doctrine, against the sinful world, and against the temptations seeking to snatch the sheep from the flock.

Triumphant reminds us that the war is already won. Even when there are days where sin wins the battle, the war is already ours. Christ has held the battlefield and won the victory on our behalf. When Christ returns, there will only be the Church Triumphant. Suffering, temptation, and struggle will cease. War will cease. Spiritual war will cease. The Final Judgment is final and will pronounce the Church Triumphant.

Do not be confused, however. There are not two different Churches. Militant and Triumphant are two different battalions in the same Church. The Church Militant and the Church Triumphant are still one Body and Christ is our head. The Church Triumphant, those Christians whose bodies have been committed to the earth and whose souls enjoy the nearer presence of Christ, are not asleep nor transfixed in a zombie-like state of staring at Jesus. They are alive and active. They are singing the praises of Jesus, praying to him, and praying for you. According to the Revelation to St. John, they are at least aware of the passing of time on earth if not aware to some extent of the events on earth.^[1]

According to St. Paul, these same saints are gathered with us. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”^[2] St. Paul does not limit this surrounding of the great cloud of witnesses only to the worship service. He seems to indicate that the saints in glory are present with the saints on earth, even if the awareness of one another is only passing.

That said, the Church Militant and Church Triumphant are closest as we worship the Lamb on the Throne together. The veil between the sides of glory is thinnest during the divine service, which is how we can say, “with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven.” What’s more, the Church Triumphant is not joining us in an earthly song. God would never be so cruel as to ask the saints in glory to condescend to a worship created in the imagination of man.

Rather, the Church Militant is exalted to join the Church Triumphant in her song. We sing the song of heaven, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Sabbaoth!” This is the song of the Holy Angels and the saints in glory. We are given to sing the eternal words of the heavenly worship each Sunday as we prepare to feast on the Body and Blood of the Eternal Word. Blessed are we who have inherited the Kingdom of God, we sons and daughters of the King.

The distinction of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, which are united in the Eternal Body of Christ, should help us to understand the Beatitudes. They are not a checklist for getting into heaven. They are not a menu of the rewards for specific deeds. The Beatitudes are a description of Christ and the virtues to which all Christians are called.

Each of the Beatitudes is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Christ is purely poor in spirit, descending into our mortal flesh. Christ truly mourns the sin of the world and condemnation of the wicked yet is comforted by the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Angels. Christ humbled himself to born of a virgin. Christ hungers and thirsts for your righteousness. Christ is merciful to forgive your sins by dying your death. Christ is pure in heart and has seen the Father face to face from all eternity. Christ makes eternal peace between God and man. Christ was persecuted for the sake of your righteousness and was reviled beyond any contempt shown for man. Christ ultimately fulfills each of the Beatitudes.

Jesus also spoke these words to his disciples. He spoke them to the Church Militant. He is speaking them to you today. But again, the Beatitudes are not a checklist of requirements and rewards. Our Lord is telling us who it is He considers to be blessed and what the result of such blessing is.

It is undeniable that the pace of our world has increased tremendously. Information travels instantly across the globe. Not too long ago, even this instantaneous information was slowed by the fact that you must sit at a computer or television, attached to a wall, in order to receive it. Now it is as close as your pocket. Physically, cars have gotten faster. Speed limits have risen. What used to be a day trip is now only an hour or two away.

This rapid pace has dramatically affected our language. There isn’t time to carefully consider your words because any hesitation will put you behind the current thought. Emails and text messages expect a rapid response, and it is viewed as an insult to tarry. Books are shorter. Sentences are shorter. If you only have a few seconds to respond, your vocabulary must shrink. A smaller vocabulary means you have less options of words to use to express your thoughts. Less options mean less decisions. Less decisions mean faster responses.

The problem is that as our collective vocabulary dwindles, the ability to convey meaning also dwindles. We’ve assumed that synonyms all mean exactly the same thing so there is no use in a variety of language. Small does not mean the same thing as minute, even though they might be synonyms. Each has a certain color, a slight deviation in meaning that gives the word a unique meaning and helps you to communicate with your fellow man.

What does this change in our language have to do with the Beatitudes, aside from acknowledging our difficulty with some of the vocabulary? When was the last time you heard or read the word “blessed” outside of the holy Scriptures? What did it mean? I’m willing to bet it didn’t mean anything specific. “He led such a blessed life.” Usually this means that guy got lucky.

Who does Jesus say are blessed? The poor in spirit; those who mourn; the meek; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; the merciful; the pure in heart; the peacemakers; those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.[3] These are the virtues extolled by Christ. These are the virtues which Christ sees in His beloved Christians. These are also the virtues to which we ought to aspire.

You hear, “poor in spirit” and likely think of someone whose faith is a faintly burning wick. You probably think of this person as struggling with his faith. Jesus says he is blessed. Why is he blessed? He is blessed because he has faith. He is struggling against his sin and struggling to understand how a just and merciful God could love a poor miserable sinner like him. He is struggling against his flesh, trying to put of the old man but always doing that which he knows he shouldn’t and failing to do that which he should. He is poor in spirit, but he is blessed because the kingdom of heaven belongs to him.

The Beatitudes and the entire Sermon on the Mount can be classified as “wisdom literature.” This means it is intended to be read and reread. It is intended to be pondered over. Ruminating on the Beatitudes requires time. It requires a slow, lifelong effort. As a cow chews its cud, one must continually chew on the wisdom of God, thereby slowly gaining the spiritual nutrition offered therein.

Only by such rumination can you come to understand the Word of God, let alone such wisdom as is contained in the Beatitudes. It would be easy if there was a verse in the Bible that said, “Jimmy, you are meek because it is within your nature to put the needs of others before yourself, like when you chose to continue working 60 hours a week in the factory rather than take the high paying sales job which would require you to travel 5 days a week for the sake of your children.”

This would not require wisdom of Jimmy. It would not require wisdom of you. Wisdom requires you to read the word of God, consider its meaning, place it in the context of the whole counsel of God, and slowly see the word of God blossom into the reality of your mind, body, and soul. This is wisdom and this is wrought within you by the Holy Spirit.

Stop looking for the quick answer. Do not wait for a pastor or radio preacher to tell you exactly what to do in every situation. You may think that trusting the word of your pastor is the Christian thing to do but it is trusting in man. Assuming that any man—clergy, academic, or otherwise—to be correct in every situation is trusting the traditions of man as the word of God.

Instead, go to the source, ad fontes. Search the word of God and ruminate on it. Soak it in. Take responsibility for your own salvation by going to the word of God and to the place where Christ has promised to be with His people—the Church. Receive these words not so that you can make your own decisions about what it means, but so that you can receive the meaning of these words.

As part of this rumination, the Church looks to her saints, the Church Triumphant. We look not to these saints to help us, to intercede for us, or to make the definitive interpretation of the Scriptures. Rather, we look to see how the Word of God worked in their lives, in their thoughts, and in their hearts. We give thanks that God has worked faith in Jerome, Luther, and Walther. We are comforted that if such great sinners as Peter, Paul, Mary, and Augustine can be forgiven then we too shall be forgiven. Then we see the great works of faith demonstrated by Martin of Tours, John the Steadfast, Al Viets, and so many others, and we imitate these works.

We recognize in these works the blessings Jesus speaks of in the Beatitudes. We take these examples into consideration when we ruminate on the word of God as examples for how God’s wisdom may be faithfully shown forth in daily living. Thus the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant are again united in the working out of the faith as well as in the forgiveness of faith.

The comfort of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant is our unity in the Body of Christ. If we abide in his word, he abides in us. If we abide in Christ, we abide together with Ron, Betty, Norm, Judith, Susan, and Al. This unity with the saints in glory cannot be taken away. Our experience of this unity can only grow as we too make our way into glory.

The Beatitudes progress from declaring those enduring temporal suffering to those demonstrating spiritual virtues, only to conclude in suffering persecution, reviling, and wicked deeds. The response to this is to “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”[4] Your reward in heaven is complete unity with all the saints and eternal worship of Christ. You will be like the glorified Christ and shall see Him as He is, face to face. You shall see him and know him. Blessed are the saints in glory, for their journey is complete. Blessed are you, for you are never alone. Blessed are we, for together we sing the praise of Christ, who has washed our robes and made them white in his blood.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Revelation 6:9-10, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’”

[2] Hebrews 12:1-2.

[3] St. Matthew 5:3-10.

[4] St. Matthew 5:12.