The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – July 2, 2022

Introit—1 Samuel 2:1-2, ant. Luke 1:46b-47; Isaiah 11:1-5; Song of Songs 2:8-14

St. Luke 1:39-56

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

The Visitation refers to that occasion after the Angel Gabriel has revealed the conception of St. John the Baptist to Zacharias and Elizabeth and after the same archangel came to both Mary and Joseph, revealing Mary was to be the mother of God, when Mary traveled to visit her relative Elizabeth. The reason for this journey is not given by God. Some speculate that it has to do with protecting the Blessed Virgin from the contempt of her neighbors and safeguarding the reputation of pious Joseph. By Mary leaving Nazareth for three months, it was less likely the Holy Family would receive severe criticism. When she returned, it may have been easier for the public to assume the conception of Mary’s Son occurred after her marriage to Joseph.

This speculation may be true. It may be false. Either way, it isn’t very helpful. What we know is that the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her relative Elizabeth was the occasion both for St. John to leap in his mother’s womb and for the Blessed Virgin to sing the Magnificat.

There are two important lessons for us today: First, that we are unworthy of the least of God or man’s attention, let alone mercy; and Second, that we rejoice at the coming of our Lord.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth out of absolutely nothing.[1] Everything that was made was made through the Word of God according to the Will of God.[2] When God called Abraham and gave him the promise of countless generations, blessings without number, and a land in which to dwell forever, God was again building a people for Himself where there had been nothing. One of the commands given to Abraham was to leave his father’s house. No longer was Abraham to identify himself as of the lineage of Terah, but of the lineage of God. A new generation had begun.

The Prophet Isaiah speaks in this way in our reading today. “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”[3] It would be more accurately rendered the “stump” of Jesse. The Davidic line was all but dead. The family tree of Jesse, the father of David, was cut down. It was little more than a dried-up stump, devoid of hope. From this dead thing, Life sprung forth. A new Rod, a Branch full of life will spring forth and endure forever. This Rod is Christ, who is born of the Virgin Mary, herself a descendant of David.

But Mary was not worthy. She belonged to the stump of Jesse. She was poor, despised, and lowly. If tradition holds true that she was quite young when she bore the Christ child and Joseph was quite old, then it is likely the marriage was arranged for financial gain by her parents and to ensure she could be supported by her established husband. There was nothing remarkable about the Blessed Virgin. She daily went about her chores. She attended the synagogue and heard the Word of God. She belonged to the faithful remnant of Israel but even this was not particularly remarkable.

We see from the history of God’s actions that He chooses that which is lowly, despised, poor, and nothing. God brings up the downtrodden, frees the prisoner, and satisfies the hungry. He also casts down the mighty, binds the strong, and sends the rich empty away. The Blessed Virgin gives thanks that God has had mercy upon her and descended to her in her low estate.

Do not, for one moment, assume that you are something great. If you do, then God is not for you. Or the most you can expect from God is to be cast down into the pit. We are poor, miserable sinners. You are a poor, miserable sinner. You are nothing of importance to God or man. Even if you have achieved great things in this world, there is always someone smarter, faster, better, and more accomplished. If you are the greatest in the world, then know that there are thousands who seek your downfall because man loves to watch the mighty fall.

If you have achieved great things in this world, even the greatness of raising a child, holding a steady job, or attending to the gathering of the church, give thanks that these things do not make you precious in the sight of the Lord. Give thanks because if even simple tasks made you precious in the sight of the Lord, then your salvation would depend on consistently achieving them. One misstep and you would be lost.

Instead, give thanks that there is nothing within you worth the love of God because this means that He has regarded your low estate. This means that you are poor, lowly, and despised, precisely the type of person for whom God became man. Magnify the Lord because He looks upon you in love, not because of what you have done or have failed to do, but because of what He has done. He has called you by name to join Him on Mount Zion. God fills with you good things, His very Body and Blood.

If you have the riches of Abraham, the poetry of David, or the wisdom of Solomon, these things are trinkets before God. They are gifts of God, bestowed upon you for the praise of Him. When the Blessed Virgin hears the words of the Angel Gabriel, she rejoices that her Lord has condescended to be with her. Jesus Christ is also with you, this day and every day.

In the Song of Solomon, the church proclaims, “The voice of my Beloved! Behold, He comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.”[4] The Bridegroom calls to the Church out of great love and from a great distance. Before we see our Lord, we hear His voice. Before the Virgin conceived, she heard the Word of the Lord from the lips of Gabriel. Before John baptized his Lord, he leaped in the womb at the sound of Mary’s voice. Thus at the sound of the Word of our God, our ears perk up and our excitement heightens. The church rejoices to see and know her Lord, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!”

And before we can move a muscle; before the church can take any action of her own, Christ leaps down from Mount Zion, from the side of the Father, to join His beloved bride on the plain. He descends lower than the heavenly beings that He might join us in our flesh. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked, but my God would rather be born of a lowly virgin than institute an earthly kingdom by force of man.[5]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Genesis 1:1.

[2] St. John 1:1-3.

[3] Isaiah 11:1.

[4] Song of Songs 2:8. The following draws from Bernard of Clairvaux, “Sermon 53,” On the Song of Songs, Vol 3, translated by Kilian Walsh and Irene M. Edmonds (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1979), 58-67.

[5] Psalm 84:10; St. Luke 1:42; St. Matthew 4:8-9; Acts 1:4-8.

The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Psalm 34; Isaiah 61:7-11; Galatians 4:4-7

St. Luke 1:39-55

            In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

            The Blessed Virgin Mary has been the subject of many artistic depictions throughout history. Many are quite beautiful. Unfortunately, many others contain false teachings associated with the Marian cult of the Roman Catholic Church. However, there is one that I would like to describe for you, which is worth your contemplation.

            The Blessed Virgin sits upon a marble chair, holding her Divine Son in her arms. There are bright white lilies at her feet and the wall behind them is covered in a floral wallpaper. The wall is a mixture of gold, red, white, green, pink and yellow, though all the tones of the wall are muted. Both Mary and her Son are adorned with nimbuses, the golden halo looking ornaments, typical of depictions of any Christian. Of course, the Christ child’s nimbus has a cross within it, while the Virgin Mother’s is rather plain.

The Christ child is naked, however his legs are drawn up so as to cover any indignity that might be displayed. His feet are slightly overlapping, reminiscent of how they will eventually be nailed to the cross. His arms are outstretched to the sides, the right hand formed into the sign of blessing – two fingers curled, the thumb and other two fingers extended. Both hands have their palms exposed, again, suggesting the posture in which he will atone for the sin of the world.

Mary is clothed in a dark velvet cloak. The color is difficult to discern, perhaps a dark shade of purple, perhaps a faded black. The cloak has gold trim and is clasped with a diamond shaped broach. She wears a red shirt, barely visible beneath the cloak. A thin white garment is placed upon her head and the hood of the cloak covers it. The Blessed Mother appears young, certainly under 20, as she was when she bore the Savior of the world. She holds the Christ child in both arms, simultaneously expressing tender care and somehow clutching him to herself.

The most striking features of the painting are the eyes of Christ and Mary. Christ stares directly at you, the viewer. He is painted face on, with vivid eyes, a serious but compassionate expression upon his young face. The Blessed Mother is looking down, her eyes barely visible. She is looking at her Son. Although the figure of Mary occupies three-quarters of the image, her gaze directs us to the Christ, particularly his hand raised in blessing. While Jesus’ lips are shown in a serious but compassionate expression, Mary shows slight concern in her understated face. She looks somewhat uncomfortable seated upon the marble seat.

What have we to learn from such an image? The purpose of celebrating the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary is to follow her gaze – to focus on Christ, her Son. Her eyes are focused ever on Christ, not her own station as the Mother of God. She is uncomfortable on the seat because she knows it is Christ’s throne, not her own. She is no more the Queen of Heaven than any other Christian. She deserves nothing. It is precisely because of her low estate that she was chosen by God to bear the Christ.

She clutches at the Christ child because only by clinging to her Savior does she have hope of salvation. She must hold him tightly, fervently, knowing that only in His salvation will she receive eternal life.

At the same time, she, as a mother, must not restrict him. A sword will pierce her heart as her own Son is beaten and nailed to a tree. She must endure a lifetime of sorrow for not only did her Savior die on her account, but her Son sacrificed Himself for her. She must not prevent Him from the death for which He was sent into the world. Mary was a smart woman, she knew that one day the Savior, her Son, must die to atone for her sin and she could not stop it.

Aside from being the Mother of God, as though that title were a trifle, Mary is also the fulfillment of the Ark of the Covenant and the image of the Church. The Ark of the Covenant was given to the Hebrews as they wandered the desert for forty years. It contained the Word of God and was the physical manifestation of the location of God. It was God’s throne and place of judgement. The lid was called the Mercy Seat, or more accurately, the Atonement Seat. Likewise, Mary was given to carry the Christ child within her womb for forty weeks. In her was the physical Word of God, come to dwell with his people. God would soon take his place upon the Atonement Seat, now fashioned into a cross.

The church is now the bearer of Christ. Inside these walls, inside the walls of your heart, dwells the Son of God. Here He comes to be with His people, physically in His Holy Body and Precious Blood. He dispenses that same atonement, made once and for all on Mount Calvary and now distributed to you in His Word, His Supper, and His Baptism, every Sunday. “His mercy is on those who fear him, from generation to generation”[1] of those who receive his Word of absolution in faith. From whence comes this faith? The very same Word. “He has helped His servant Israel, [the Church,] in remembrance of His mercy, as He promised to our fathers, [to your fathers,] Abraham and to his seed forever.”[2]

Because of the terrible abuses of our Mother in the faith, we are tempted to denigrate Mary. “She was nothing special, she was a sinner, too. We shouldn’t exalt her any more than any other Christian. Giving her special attention is too Roman Catholic.” Mary was a sinner. She is no greater than any other Christian in regard to her salvation. She was conceived in iniquity and born in sin. She needed the blood of Christ to wash away her sins every bit as much as you do.

But we should also heed the words the angel Gabriel, “Rejoice, highly favred one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”[3] Then there are the words of Elizabeth, spoken to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”[4] Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mary herself sang, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED.”[5]

Lest we become the very prideful ones scattered in the imaginations of our hearts, we should humble ourselves before the Blessed Virgin Mary, not out of worship. We never worship a Christian. The temptation to hold the Blessed Virgin down so as to elevate ourselves is blatant hypocrisy, sinful pride, and biblical ignorance. The mighty, in worldly power and in sinful pride, are cast down from their throne. But the lowly, the humble, are exalted. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are filled with good things while the rich are sent away empty. We should humble ourselves to the mercy shown to Mary by God; humble ourselves before the faith shown by a teenager told she would bear God in her womb; humble ourselves to imitate this faith, begging our Father in Heaven to endow us with such humility, grace, and endurance.

She cast her gaze upon the Christ child in whom is her salvation. In her deepest suffering, as her beloved Son hung upon a cross, she did not curse God and beg for death. She stood silently weeping and received the blessing of Christ. In His moment of greatest suffering, Christ Himself looked down from the cross and regarded his beloved mother. Despite enduring the pain of ten thousand generations of sin and evil, he took a moment to entrust his beloved mother to his beloved disciple. In the depth of sorrow, God looked up upon his blessed saints. Everything God does, everything Christ does is for the benefit of the Church and His saints. Everything is done for you.

On this account, we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate her as our mother in the faith as the first Christian to receive the Body of Christ into herself. We celebrate her as our sister, praising the manifold gifts of God. We celebrate Mary as the image of the Church, ‘the glorious princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. In these many-colored robes she is led to the king, her own Son seated upon His eternal throne, with all her virgin companions, the Church, all those cleansed from their sins and made pure as virgins, following behind.’[6]

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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[1] The Magnificat, Luke 1:50.

[2] The Magnificat, Luke 1:54-55.

[3] Luke 1:28.

[4] Luke 1:42.

[5] The Magnificat, Luke 1:47-48. Emphasis added.

[6] Psalm 45:13-14, the Gradual for the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.