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Chapter 5MedVC.1.5

Quomodo beata Virgo visitavit Elisabeth, et quomodo Magnificat et Benedictus facta fuerunt

The Humble Journey to the Hill Country

Mary, moved by the angel's words, sets out with Joseph to visit Elizabeth, traveling on foot without retinue, accompanied only by poverty, humility, and modesty.

After these things, the Lady, pondering the words of the angel, which he had spoken about her cousin Elizabeth, proposes to visit her — both to congratulate her and also to serve her. She went therefore, together with Joseph her betrothed, from Nazareth to the house of Elizabeth, who —✦1 , 45, 8.2 It was distant from Jerusalem through fourteen or fifteen miles, or thereabouts.3 She was not therefore delayed by the roughness or the length of the road, but went with haste, because she did not wish to be seen for long in public.4 And so she was not burdened from the conception of the Lord, as happens to birds with their young.5 For the Lord Jesus was not burdensome to his mother. Observe therefore here how the Queen of heaven and earth goes alone with her betrothed — not on horseback but on foot; she brings no retinue of horsemen or barons, no company of chamberlains and ladies-in-waiting.6

The Greeting and the Holy Spirit's Outpouring

Mary greets Elizabeth; John leaps in the womb filled with the Holy Spirit, and Elizabeth cries out her blessing, recognizing the mother of the Lord.

With her go poverty, humility, and modesty, and the honorableness of all the virtues. And the Lord is also with her, having a great and honorable retinue — but not a vain and pompous one.7 When she entered the house, she greeted Elizabeth, saying: Greetings, my sister Elizabeth.✦ She, rejoicing and completely made glad, kindled by the Holy Spirit, rises and embraces her most tenderly, and crying out with joy, said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.✦8 And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?✦ etc.9 For when the Virgin greeted Elizabeth, John was filled in the womb with the Holy Spirit, and the mother was also filled; nor is the mother filled before the son, but the son, once filled, also fills the mother — not by effecting something in the soul of the mother, but by meriting, through the Holy Spirit, that something be brought about in her, because in him the grace of the Holy Spirit shone forth more abundantly, and he perceived the grace first.✦1011 And just as she perceived Mary, so he perceived the coming of the Lord.✦12

The Magnificat and Mutual Joy

Mary sings the Magnificat in response to Elizabeth; the two women share the joy of their conceptions, exchange humble courtesies, and Mary remains three months serving Elizabeth.

And so she rejoiced, and she spoke prophetically.✦ See how great the power is in the words the Lady spoke twice, because at the utterance of them the Holy Spirit is bestowed.✦13 For thus abundantly —14 She herself was full, because by her merits the Holy Spirit himself was also filling others.15 Mary responded to Elizabeth, saying: 'My soul magnifies the Lord,' etc., completing there the whole song of joy and praise.✦16 Then, settling themselves to sit, the humble Lady placed herself in a lower place at Elizabeth's feet; but she immediately rose up, not allowing this, and raised her up, and together they sat down.17 The Lady asks about the manner of Elizabeth's conception, and Elizabeth about the manner of hers; and they relate these things to one another joyfully, praising God for each conception, and they remain in an act of thanksgiving, spending their days in joy.18 And the Lady stayed in that place for about three months, ministering and serving her.✦19

The Birth of John and Mary's Hidden Devotion

Mary serves Elizabeth at the birth of John, tenderly cares for the infant who gazes at her, and the reader is invited to contemplate the magnificence and unique grace of John the Baptist.

In everything she could, she acted humbly, reverently, and devoutly, as if she had forgotten that she was the mother of God and queen of the whole world. What sort of houses, what sort of chamber, what sort of bed — in which and in which such mothers and such sons dwell together and rest side by side, made fruitful: Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus and John. There are also venerable old men there — namely, Zechariah and Joseph. When the time came, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, whom the Lady lifted from the ground and carefully made presentable, as was fitting. The little one, as if he understood her, would gaze at her; and when she wanted to hand him to his mother, he would turn his head toward her and delighted only in her. And she herself would play gently with him and kiss him tenderly. Consider, O man. Behold the magnificence of John. No one ever had such a gift.

The Benedictus and Mary's Silent Pondering

John is circumcised and named; Zechariah sings the Benedictus; Mary listens from behind a curtain, pondering all things in her heart, then returns to her poverty in Nazareth.

Many other great privileges concerning him are lost, which I do not dwell upon at present. On the eighth day, however, the boy was circumcised and was called John. And then the mouth of Zechariah was opened, and he prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, etc.✦ And so in that house these two most beautiful songs — namely the Magnificat and the Benedictus — were composed.✦✦ The Lady, however, standing behind a curtain so as not to be seen by the men who had gathered for the circumcision of John, listened attentively to that song, in which mention was made of her Son, and she pondered all things most wisely in her heart.✦ At last, bidding farewell to Elizabeth and Zechariah, and blessing John, she returns to her dwelling place in Nazareth. In that return, call to mind his poverty. For she returns to a house in which she is to find neither bread, nor wine, nor any other necessities. But she had neither possessions nor money.

Love of Poverty and Manual Labor

Mary returns to her own poverty in Nazareth, resolved to provide for herself by working with her own hands, and the reader is exhorted to be enamored of poverty.

She stayed with those people for three months, and they were perhaps well-off; but now she returns to her own poverty, so that she might earn a living by working with her own hands. Have compassion on yourself, and be set aflame by love of poverty.20

Read the original Latin

Post heec recogitans Domina verba AngeU, quae dixit de consobrina sua Elisiibeth, eam visitare proponit ad congratulandum eidem, ac etiam serviendum. Ivit ergo una cum Joseph sponso suo aNazareth ad domum ipsius, quae dis— " /5". , XLV, 8. tabat a Hierusalem per quatuordecim vel quindecim miUiaria, vel circa. Non ergo retardatur asperitate, vel longinquitate viae, sed ^ cum fesUnaUone ivit, quia nolebat diu in pubUco videri. Et sic non erat ex conceptu Ulii aggravata, ut aUis rauUeribus contingit. Non enim fuit Dominus Jesus onerosus matri. Conspice ergo hic quomodo vadit sola cum sponso suo Regina coeU etterrae; etnon eques, sedpedes; nonducit frequentiam raiUtum vel baronum, non camerariarum et domiceUarum comitivam.

Vadunt autem cum ea paupertas, humiUtas et verecundia, omniumque virtutum honestas. Est et Dominus secum, magnam et honorabilem comitivam habens, sed non ssecuU vanam et pomposam. Cum autem intravit domum, salutavit Elisabeth, dicens: Salve, soror mea, EUsabeth. Ula vero exultans et tota exhilarata, et accensa Spiritu sancto surgit, et amplexatur eam tenerrime, et clamans prae gaudio, dixit: Benedicta tu inter mulieres, et benedictus fructus ventris tui. Et unde hoc mihi,ut veniat mater Domini mei ad me? etc. Cum enim Virgo salutavit EUsabeth, repletus est in utero Joannes Spiritu sancto, repleta est etiam et mater: nec prius repletur mater quam fiUus, sed fiUus repletus replet et matrem, non quidem in anima matris aliquid efficiendo, sed per Spiritum sanctum aliquid in ea fieri promerendo, eo quod in ipso Spiritus sancti gratia afUuentior refulgebat, et prior gratiam sensit. Et sicut illa Mariam, sic iUe adventum Domini sensit.

Et ideo exultavit, et illa prophetice locuta est. Vide quanta virtus sit in ver- Qua^ bis Dominae, quia ad eorum pronunciationem ^®'*'| confertur Spiritus sanctus. Sic enim abundanter b. >i ipsa erat plena, quod ejus meritis ipse Spiritus ^'^ ^ sanctus etiam alios replebat. Respondit autem Maria ad Elisabeth, dicens: Mag^iificat anima mea Dominum, etc, totum ibidem complens canticum jucunditalis et laudis. Deinde se ad sedendum ponentes, Domina humilUma ad inferiorem locum se ponit ad pedes Elisabeth: sed illa incontinenti exurgens, et hoc non patiens, erexit eam, et pariter consederunt. Quaerit autem Domina de modo suae conceptionis, et Elisabeth de modo suee: et haec sibi invicem narrant loetanter, etlaudant Deum de utraque conceptione, et in gratiarum aclione consistunt, et cigunt dies laetitiae. Et stetit ibidem Domina quasi mensibus tribus, ministrans et serviens ei 5.

in omnibus quee poterat humiliter, reverenter, et devote, quasi oblita se matrem Dei esse, ettotius mundi reginam. 0 qualis domiis, qualis camera, qualis lectus, in qua et quo pariter commorantur et requiescunt tales matres talibus filiis foecundatee, Maria et Eiisabeth, Jesus et Joannes. Sunt et ibi magnifici senes, scili •• Zacharias et Joseph. Advenientc ergo tempore suo peperit Elisabeth fihum, quem Domina levavit a terra, et diligenter aptavit, ut expediens erat. Parvulus autem ipsam quasi intelhgens aspiciebat, et ciim eum matri porrigere vellet, caput ad eam vertebat, ct in ea solum delectabatur, et ipsa liTstanter colludebat eidem, et osculabatur jucunde. Considera mas. joan- gnificentiam Joannis. iSullus unquam talem banisBip- julam habuit.

Multa alia magna privilegia repriviL periuntur de ipso, quibus non insisto ad praeK''^'-''- sens. Die aulem octavo circumcisus est puer, et vocatus est Joannes, Et tunc apertum est os Zachariae, et prophetavit, dicens: Benedictus Dominus Deus Isruel, etc. Et sic in domo illa haec duo cantica pulcherrima, scilicet Magnificat et Benedictus, facta fherunt. Domina vero stans post aUquam cortinam, ne videretur ab hominibus qui convenerant ad circumcisionem Joannis, aiiscultabat attente ad canticum illud, in quo de filio suo fiebat mentio, et omnia conferebat in corde suo sapientissime. Tandem valefaciens EUsabeth et Zachariee, ac benedicens Joanni, redit ad domum suee habitationis in Nazareth. In qua reversione paupertatem ejus ad mentem revoca. Redit enim ad domum, in qua nec panem, nec vinum, nec alia necessaria est inventura. Sed nec possessiones habebat,nec pecuniam.

Stetit his tribus mensibus apud illos forte opulentos: nunc autem redit ad paupertatem suam, et ut propriis manibus laborando victum procuret. Compatere sibi, et in amoreui paupertatis accendere

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Luke.1.39-Luke.1.40 — In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah. Luke.1.40 — and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth
  2. ↩Luke.1.40 — and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth
  3. ↩Luke.1.42 — And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
  4. ↩Luke.1.43 — And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
  5. ↩Luke.1.41 — And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
  6. ↩Luke.1.41 — And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
  7. ↩Luke.1.46-Luke.1.55 — And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, Luke.1.47 — and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior Luke.1.48 — For he has looked upon the lowliness of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. Luke.1.49 — for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke.1.50 — And his mercy is for generations and generations upon those who fear him. Luke.1.51 — He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Luke.1.52 — He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. Luke.1.53 — He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Luke.1.54 — He has helped his servant Israel, remembering mercy Luke.1.55 — just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
  8. ↩Luke.1.41-Luke.1.42 — And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke.1.42 — And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
  9. ↩Luke.1.46 — And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,
  10. ↩Luke.1.56 — And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.
  11. ↩Luke.1.68 — Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and accomplished redemption for his people.
  12. ↩Luke.1.46-Luke.1.55 — And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, Luke.1.47 — and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior Luke.1.48 — For he has looked upon the lowliness of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. Luke.1.49 — for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke.1.50 — And his mercy is for generations and generations upon those who fear him. Luke.1.51 — He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Luke.1.52 — He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. Luke.1.53 — He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Luke.1.54 — He has helped his servant Israel, remembering mercy Luke.1.55 — just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
  13. ↩Luke.1.68-Luke.1.79 — Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and accomplished redemption for his people. Luke.1.69 — and he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David Luke.1.70 — just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old Luke.1.71 — salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us Luke.1.72 — to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant Luke.1.73 — the oath that he swore to Abraham our father, to grant to us Luke.1.74 — that we, having been rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear Luke.1.75 — in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Luke.1.76 — And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways. Luke.1.77 — to give knowledge of salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins, Luke.1.78 — because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from on high Luke.1.79 — to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
  14. ↩Luke.2.19 — But Mary treasured all these words, turning them over in her heart.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The manuscript breaks off abruptly after 'quae dis—' with a quotation mark and page reference '/5'. The sentence is incomplete in the source; translation reflects the break as given.
  2. 2 ↩This appears to be a marginal or interlinear reference marker (possibly a chapter/verse citation or manuscript folio number), not a sentence. Transcribed as-is.
  3. 3 ↩The verb 'tabat' is uncertain in the manuscript; the sense appears to be 'it was distant' (possibly from a form of 'disto' or a similar verb), but the lemma is unclear. Translation follows the most plausible intended sense from context.
  4. 4 ↩The manuscript reads 'fesUnaUone' (uncertain lemma, likely 'festinatione' = haste). The caret mark '^' in the normalized text may indicate a lacuna or insertion. Translation follows the most plausible reading.
  5. 5 ↩The manuscript reads 'Ulii' (uncertain proper name — possibly 'Urii' or a corruption) and 'rauUeribus' (uncertain lemma). The sense appears to be a comparison with birds weighed down by their offspring. 'Ulii' may be a corruption of 'Domini' or refer to the conception of the Lord (Jesus). Translation follows the most plausible devotional sense: Mary was not physically burdened by her pregnancy as birds are by their young.
  6. 6 ↩The manuscript contains several merged or uncertain forms: 'etnon' (et + non), 'sedpedes' (sed + pedes), 'nonducit' (non + ducit), 'raiUtum' (uncertain, possibly 'equitum' = horsemen), 'domiceUarum' (uncertain, possibly 'domicellarum' = ladies-in-waiting). Translation follows the most plausible readings from context. The passage is a direct address to the reader, contrasting Mary's humble journey with the pomp of earthly royalty.
  7. 7 ↩The form ssecuU is uncertain; the translation follows the apparent intended sense of vanam ('vain') from context and the gloss.
  8. 8 ↩The form Ula is uncertain — possibly a scribal variant. The translation treats it as the subject 'she' (Elizabeth) from context.
  9. 9 ↩The etc. indicates the author is abbreviating the continuation of Elizabeth's speech from Luke 1:44–45 or related material.
  10. 10 ↩The passage presents a theological reflection on the order of grace: John is filled with the Holy Spirit first, and through his being filled, Elizabeth is also filled — not by any action on her soul directly, but by his meriting through the Spirit. The author emphasizes that grace shone more abundantly in John.
  11. 11 ↩The form afUuentior is normalized; translated as 'more abundant' following the comparative of affluens.
  12. 12 ↩The form iUe is uncertain; normalized and translated as 'he' (John), the apparent subject from context.
  13. 13 ↩The form 'ver' is truncated/uncertain; the normalized text preserves it as-is. The sense appears to be 'in the word(s)' — possibly verba or verbi — referring to Mary's greeting and/or the Magnificat.
  14. 14 ↩The sentence is incomplete in the source: 'Sic enim abundanter b.' The letter 'b' is likely an abbreviation mark or a truncated word. The intended completion is uncertain.
  15. 15 ↩The initial '>i' in the normalized text appears to be a transcription artifact or abbreviation; it is omitted in translation as unintelligible.
  16. 16 ↩'My soul magnifies the Lord' is the incipit of the Magnificat (Luke 1:46). The 'etc.' in the source indicates the full canticle is referenced but not quoted.
  17. 17 ↩'humilUma' in the source is an uncertain form, likely intended as 'humillima' (most humble). Translated as 'humble' to convey the sense.
  18. 18 ↩'suee' is an uncertain form, likely 'suae.' 'loetanter' is a rare form rendered as 'joyfully.' 'etlaudant' is parsed as 'et laudant' (and they praise). 'aclione' is likely 'actione.'
  19. 19 ↩The trailing '5' in the source text ('ei 5') appears to be a footnote marker or transcription artifact and is not rendered in translation.
  20. 20 ↩The form 'amoreui' is almost certainly corrupt, most likely for 'amore tui' (love of you) or simply 'amore' (love). The translation renders the most plausible intended sense: 'love of poverty' (amore paupertatis), taking the genitive paupertatis as dependent on amor. The sentence as a whole is also fragmentary or compressed in feel — 'Compatere sibi' as an imperative of compatior ('have compassion on yourself') followed by an infinitive 'accendere' ('to kindle/set aflame') is syntactically strained, suggesting possible textual disruption. The translation aims at the most coherent devotional sense.

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