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 Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – September 29, 2024

Psalm 103; Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3; Revelation 12:7-12

St. Matthew 18:1-18

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

Every Sunday, we confess that God created all things visible and invisible. Those things invisible primarily refer to the angels. Angels are a creation of God, distinct from all other creation. Humans do not become angels when they die any more than humans become cats upon death. Angels are spirits, that is, without body.

Sometimes, angels appear to man. They can appear in the form of a human, as fire, wind, or simply a voice. They also take on the visage of terrifying beasts, with multiple heads, hundreds of eyes, wings, and engulfed in flames. They are always referred to with male pronouns in Scripture and are said to neither marry nor procreate.[1] From the beginning to the end of time, there is a fixed number of angels – no more and no less than were created by God.

Individual angels are not omnipresent or present in all places. They are located in a particular space at any given time, but God has not revealed how they are present in space and time. We do not know how big or small they are. They are also spiritual beings. They do not have a physical body that is all their own. They can assume a physical body for a time, like the angels who visit with Abraham or who call Lot and his family out of Sodom.[2] Although this temporary body is physical (in that it can interact with the physical world), these angels are not “incarnate.” They did not take on a body of their own. It is a temporary “man suit.”

Angels are not omnipresent or present in all places, but because they are spiritual, they always see the face of our Father in heaven, even when they are ministering to man on earth.[3] This incomprehensible mystery speaks of their spiritual nature and the fact that God is near to all things, even if we cannot see Him at times.

There is also confusion over the duties of angels. The word “angel” means “messenger.” They are the messengers of God, heralds who bring His Word to man. We see this explicitly in the Angel Gabriel, who speaks to Daniel and then appears to Mary, telling her she will bear the Christ child.[4] However, this use of the term “angel” to mean “messenger” is also applied to human beings. John the Baptist is called an Angel.[5] In the Revelation to St. John, the pastors of the seven churches are called the angels of those churches.[6] All pastors are considered angels as they are the messengers, the ambassadors of Christ, sent to deliver His Word and His gifts to God’s people.[7]

Most importantly, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is called the Angel of the Lord throughout the Old Testament.[8] This reflects that fact that Jesus Christ is the Word of God, he himself is the message and the messenger, bringing the Word and Will of God to man. When reading Scripture, you can be assured that the angel being discussed is Jesus if the angel accepts and receives the worship of man, beast, or any other created thing.[9]

Angels are the messengers of God and yet they have also been given other duties. The Revelation to St. John records how the prayers of the saints are carried to heaven by an angel. He offers the prayers with incense before the altar of God.[10] The Angels are also said to bear the soul of the beggar Lazarus into the bosom of Abraham.[11] The angels rejoice over one who repents and turns toward God.[12] They are superior to us in their delight in the Word of God and yet they joyfully submit themselves to us in love. They are our big brothers in creation, who guard and protect us from danger while ensuring our safety in the hand of the Father.

St. Paul tells us the Holy Angels are present in the Divine Service.[13] We join in their song, first in the Gloria, singing the words of the Holy Angels present at the birth of Christ.[14] Then, we gloriously join their singing in the heavenly temple during the Sanctus.[15] The Holy Angels are present with us and singing the glorious song of heaven in praise of the Most High God. Our time in the Divine Service is a glorious glimpse into heaven, when the veil between this world and the eternal world is thinnest. Heaven itself, as the dwelling place of Christ, comes down to this altar. The risen Christ, the Angel of the Lord, Messenger of the Father, is present for us in His Holy Body and Precious Blood, together with the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Angels.

According to Psalm 34, they “encamp around them that fear the Lord.” The Holy Angels stand guard over the faithful children of God. Satan walks about as a roaring lion and the Holy Angels keep vigil lest our heels should strike a stone.[16] 

In the broadest sense, there are two kinds of angels. There are the Holy Angels, which attend to the Lord, herald his Word, guard the faithful, and bear our prayers and our departed souls to heaven.

Then there are the evil, fallen angels. Scripture calls these “demons.” They are the angels who fell like lightning from heaven, in service to Satan, the prince of demons. These too are spiritual beings, invisible unless they take on a form to be revealed to man. The pagan gods of old, the spirits contacted by mediums, ghosts, goblins, and all manner of “supernatural creatures” are manifestations of demons. They thirst for you soul, that it would spend eternity in torment and misery, as they themselves have been consigned to eternal hellfire. It is against Satan and his minions that the Holy Angels stand vigil on our behalf.

What then of this war in heaven that St. John saw in his vision? “War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”^[17]

St. John sees a war in heaven between the holy angels, led by St. Michael, and the demons, led by Satan. The result of the war is that Satan and the demons are cast out of heaven, down to the earth. Just before St. John sees the war, he sees a vision a woman who bears a male Child, who is to rule all nations, and a great red dragon who is prepared to swallow her Son. After her Son is caught up to God and His throne, the woman flees into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her by God.[18]

This is a vision of the Incarnation of our Lord, His death, resurrection, and ascension. The woman is in the first place, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ, but she symbolizes the Church. As such, once the Son of God and Son of Mary has ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Church flees into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her by God. This wilderness is the world in which we live. It is the world that is still affected by sin and ruled by Satan.

This vision of the Incarnation through ascension of our Lord sets the context for the vision of the war in heaven. This war between St. Michael and Satan is the result of the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the Old Testament, it seems that Satan had access to the throne room of God, where he would make accusations against the saints of God.[19] He would actively test God by accusing His saints, as we see in the Book of Job. But after the death and resurrection of Christ, Satan no longer has a place in heaven. He has been cast out of heaven, never again to make accusation against God’s holy ones before Him.

But we also hear of the danger of Satan’s new position. Like a terrified wolf backed into a corner, Satan is now trapped and sees his end drawing nigh. Both the wolf and Satan strike out with renewed ferocity, believing they can at least take some of you with them even if they are doomed to lose the war. The war is won in the death and resurrection of Christ but the battle is still being waged on earth. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time!”[20]

St. Michael, the archangel, and all the holy angels wage a war invisible to our eyes yet more real than you can comprehend. Satan and the demons continue to lash out, trying to tempt and destroy the beloved of God. The torment of the evil angels is the purpose for God creating Hell. It was never intended for man. Yet Satan will fill it with the souls of man so that his torment is never without company.

Against this assault of the devil, the Holy Angels encamp around the faithful.^[21] They are servants of the Most High who guard and protect man. They fight not for their own salvation, but for the salvation of man. They long for the peace of the resurrection and joyously peer into the mysteries revealed to man in the Incarnation.[22] The Holy Angels delight in man and in the fruits of repentance. They rejoice in the works of God and praise Him both day and night, side by side with man.

The time of the war in heaven is now. It is the time of the Church, that time between the ascension of Christ and his return on the Last Day. There is no seven-year tribulation nor a 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth. Now is the tribulation and now is the reign of Christ. He rules in his Church even as Satan brings tribulation to those saints. Now the war is fought, but it is already won. Your weapons in battle are the Word of God and the Blood of the Lamb.[23] The Word of God upon your lips, in your mind, and stored in your heart is the greatest weapon against the active assaults of Satan. Receiving the Holy Blood of Christ in the Eucharist revivifies your soul, such that you become like a fire-breathing lion against the hordes of hell, terrifying even Satan with your might because Christ dwells within you.

And those who overcome Satan and his temptations are those who do not love their own lives to the death, that is, those who know that man is eternal, that death is not the greatest evil.[24] If death is the greatest evil, then you must do everything imaginable to stay alive. But this is contrary to God’s Word. Death is not the greatest evil. Death is defeated in Christ.

The greatest evil is apostacy, losing faith and blasphemy against God. And the greatest punishment is not death but is eternal death, damnation, eternity in suffering with Satan and his angels. Those who overcome Satan do not love their earthly lives over their eternal lives. They do not love the earthly lives of their loved ones over their loved ones’ eternal lives. Those who overcome Satan are like the Holy Angels, beholding the face of our Father in Heaven at all times, and they do it by means of the Word of God and the Blood of the Lamb.

Come share in the victory meal. Defeat Satan by placing the Word of God on your hearts and minds and receiving the Blood of Christ. Sing with the Holy Angels the victory song of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Matthew 22:30.

[2] Genesis 18:1-15; 19:1-11.

[3] St. Matthew 18:10.

[4] Daniel 8:16; 9:21; St. Luke 1:26. See also St. Luke 1:19, St. Gabriel’s appearance to Zacharias.

[5] Malachi 3:1; St. Matthew 11:10; St. Mark 1:2.

[6] Revelation 1-3. See also Isaiah 33:7; Malachi 2:7.

[7] 2 Corinthians 5:20.

[8] For example, see Genesis 16:7; 22:11; 32:24; Hosea 12:3; etc.

[9] Compare Revelation 22:8-9.

[10] Revelation 5:8-12.

[11] St. Luke 16:22.

[12] St. Luke 15:10.

[13] 1 Corinthians 11:10.

[14] St. Luke 2:8-14.

[15] Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8.

[16] 1 Peter 5:8; Psalm 91:11-12.

[17] Revelation 12:7-9.

[18] Revelation 12:1-6.

[19] Job 1:6-12.

[20] Revelation 12:12.

[21] Psalm 34:7.

[22] 1 Peter 1:10-12.

[23] Revelation 12:11.

[24] Revelation 12:11.