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The Joyful Mysteries
The Visitation
The Visitation
These meditations are taken from "The City of God", by Venerable Mary of Agreda (Spain)
Our Lady is alleged to have appeared to Venerable Mary daily over a period of approx. 10 years, instructing her to write the story of the lives of Jesus and Mary. A condensed version of this book (4 volumes, over 1600 pages) is called "Divine Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary", and costs just $6.00. One of the best books on the Rosary that I have ever read.
The Visitation refers to Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth.
Mary had been told by the Archangel Gabriel that her cousin
Elizabeth, though of advanced years and sterile, was six months
pregnant, and acting on further instructions from God, Mary
determined to visit Elizabeth.
The journey of 26 leagues (perhaps 125 km?) took four days and three
nights. The thousand angels of Mary's guard accompanied Mary
and Joseph, but were visible only to Mary.
When Mary and Elizabeth were alone, Elizabeth was infused with the
knowledge that Mary was pregnant with the Son of the Most High.
She cried out `Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb!'
Both Mary and Elizabeth were given to understand that
the purpose and object of the trip, was so that Jesus, a mere 8 days
after conception, should bless John the Baptist in his mother's womb
and remove from him the stain of Original Sin, so that he might be
distinguished in holiness as he was in his office of Precursor
and Baptist.
When these words above were pronounced, the baby in
Elizabeth's womb `leapt for joy', because he was given perfect use of
reason, and understood that he had been sanctified from Original Sin.