the visitation story

And now we see a new order contained in Elizabeth’s marvelous Spirit-inspired greeting of Mary: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And these were preparations for no ordinary babies. Pat Gohn is a married empty-nester with three adult children and four grandchildren. The Visitation reveals a small town torn apart by supernatural events involving a mysterious stranger and his unsolved past. But Mary’s greatest joy will be sharing Christ’s presence with us in the fullness of joy that is our heavenly home. At the Annunciation of the Lord, the angel Gabriel, in response to Mary's question "How shall this be done, … (Which I find frustrating). Then the true fruits of her Visitation will be realized. In doing so, let it bring others to you through me. Leapt for joy...notice here that St. John the Baptist, Elizabeth's child, is the first to experience the joys of Mary and Jesus. And while he is capable of telling a lie, it is usually fairly transparent since he lacks the sophistication and ability to plan beyond the initial fabrication. We asked him if he wanted to let Don come into his body and he said he thought he had to let him in. Gabriel reveals this to Mary to show that "no word shall be impossible with God" -Luke 1:36. Keep in mind also that the fruit of this mystery is love of neighbor. I asked if he remembered anything after that and he thought for a few seconds. You could also say that Mary, as a good mother would, finds personal joy in sharing the Lord’s presence with us, whenever we invite him into our hearts and homes. Visitation, the visit, described in the Gospel According to Luke (1:39–56), made by the Virgin Mary, pregnant with the infant Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth. This Bible verse is often heard at weddings but it can be better applied in the story of the Visitation. Don has a younger brother, Jack, who is mentally challenged. On that day Mary not only received the good news of her own maternity, but the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and she conceived the God-Man in her womb. Mr. Peretti is a talented author, and has a way of pulling the reader into a story that twists and turns and keeps the reader on their toes. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Then he got up again and said he heard the bell again and had to go and was going to send Jack back now. See three clips from the eerie horror. He asked these questions a couple of times until several of us realized that Don was unaware that he was dead. But there’s more going on than a happy family reunion… there’s supernatural history being made! Elizabeth is much older than Mary and was thought to be infertile because of her age and because she had no children. Please login or register to review this story. For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:46-49.). Meditating upon the mysteries of the Rosary and especially the Visitation, will direct your feet into the way of peace. This scene was just Day One of a great sisterhood that would fill the next three months, a kind of “working retreat” for these two who loved and served each other as kinswomen: Women who will share countless conversations over the cooking and the household chores as they discuss the mysteries of life together. It is important to take note of this especially at a time when more than 1 million babies die each year by abortion, and as Euthanasia is sweeping across America. He said Don told him he loved him and gave him a big hug, then he blacked out. So we all told him to go ahead. We went back into the kitchen and he sat back at the table and suddenly put his hand to his head, right behind his ear. Then I asked him what happened next. Elizabeth recognizes that this visitation not only declares something special about Jesus, but she also proclaims the truth about Mary. This is the dynamic that many women recognize -- the “nesting” that accompanies the birth of a first child. He said we had gone out, but had argued about where to go. An author, catechist, speaker, and host of the Among Women podcast since 2009, her books include the award-winning Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood, and All In: Why Belonging to the Catholic Church Matters. "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." (We had pieced this much info together from various sources and Jack was aware of it. PG-13 It’s the kind of scenario I could just see my girlfriends and I gushing over -- two cousins in a sweet reunion enjoying the fact that they are both going through a pregnancy at the same time! Six of us were sitting around the kitchen table talking about Don, including Jack and his girlfriend, Jill; his sister Karen and her fiancé Tim; another sister Mandy, and myself. Make sure you bookmark this page so you can find it easily... You can also contribute your own meditations on this Rosary mystery by going here... Below are some meditations to think about as you pray... After Gabriel leaves, Mary goes "with haste" to help her cousin. He made us all promise to help take care of Jack. -Luke 1:38. Amen. In this powerful encounter, two women -- Mary, now miraculously pregnant with the Christ Child, and Elizabeth, whose maternity carried his forerunner John the Baptist -- get their first look at one another after being separated by time and distance. When I read the book "The Visitation" by Frank Peretti, I couldn't put it down. man in store: Sales Trailer, Artwork, and First Details Materialize for The Appearing. ?” We waited a few seconds, then I asked him where he was now. It seems uncanny and miraculous. for I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And we recall it every time we pray the “Hail Mary” prayer. The theme of the Feast of the Visitation centers on Mary responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to set out on a mission of charity.. The Lord blessed the house of Elizabeth just as he did the house of Obededom, Mary is the field. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For Elizabeth is already six months along and there’s much to prepare! You wouldn’t even recognize her. Title: The Visitation of the Gods Author: Gilda Cordero-Fernando Author's Background: Gilda Cordero-Fernando is a writer and publisher from the Philippines. His sister Mandy had stood up at this point and was near where Don was standing. Copyright © 2020 CatholicMom.com. "House" on DVD! The highest is, of course, Jesus and John went before Jesus and "enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace." When she … Mary enters into the house of Elizabeth and her husband Zachary. Sadly, it fell into the stereotype of a "christian-made" movie. After the Angel leaves, Mary visits her Cousin Elizabeth. he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. We went into another room and I asked him if he remembered what we had done on Valentines Day. I miss him terribly and now have to deal with my grief. This is something only the two of us would know and not something he had related to Jack. (See 2 Sam 2: 6, 16, 1 Chron 15:26, 16: 4-5.) She is not only the most graced woman of all, but she is also the happiest of all: her Son Jesus bestowed that joy on her by his presence in her womb. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, the pregnant Elizabeth felt the infant St. John the Baptist leap in her womb, which, according to later doctrine, signified that he had become sanctified and cleansed of original sin. He told us to tell his other siblings who were not present that he loved them. Please give me the graces to be charitable towards my neighbor at home, at work and even at the store.