Luke 1c: HG Bishop Youssef

Visit of St. Mary to Elizabeth

³⁹ Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

• Mary goes
  • Mary goes all the way to Judah from Nazareth
  • This was a journey of 7-8 days
• The babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
  • This is different from the regular motion of a baby in the womb
  • Elizabeth knew by the Holy Spirit that St Mary was pregnant.
    • St Ambrose: "Elizabeth was the first to hear St Mary's voice but John was the first to be affected by the blessing. Elizabeth knew of St Mary's coming, but John felt the presence of Christ in the womb of St Mary."
    • St Cyril of Jerusalem: "When John was filled with the Holy Spirit, he became sanctified while still in his mother's womb. Consecrated as priest to baptize the Lord."
• Elizabeth spoke out with a loud voice
  • She used the same words to St Mary that the angel used: "Blessed are you among women"
  • The words she said to St Mary were not her own words but the words of the Holy Spirit on her mouth
    • "mother of my Lord" - doctrine of Theotokos
• Why is this granted to me?
  • Who am I to deserve this? See the humility of Elizabeth
  • St. Mary is the Ark of Covenant
    • "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" (2 Samuel 6:9) - King David
      "Why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" - Elizabeth
    • "The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months." (2 Samuel 6:11)
      "And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house." 
    • The ark which carried the Rod, the Tablets and the Manna
      represents St. Mary who carried the Way, the Truth and the Life
    • St. John the Baptist leaped in the womb
      King David danced before the ark of covenant (2 Samuel 6:14)
• Heresy of Nestorius
  • Nestorius' HERESY: Mary gave birth to a human being and then after he was born as a human, the divinity dwelt in this child. He was excommunicated for this belief.
  • The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus used the statement of Elizabeth in verse 33 to confirm that St Mary is Mother of God
• Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord
• The Holy Spirit works differently in all of us
  • St. Elizabeth was very old and yet she is speaking loudly and exclaiming and very excited and saying all of these words because of the Holy Spirit's work in her
  • St. Mary was the opposite, and the Holy Spirit worked in her meekness and inner peace.

The Magnificat

⁴⁶ And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
⁴⁸ For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
⁵⁰ And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
⁵⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

• What was Mary's response to the praise Elizabeth gave her?
• She magnified the Lord. She gave glory to the Lord.
  • Although there is a difference between the soul and spirit, many times in Scripture they are used interchangeably.
  • Here, she is using her whole body and her heart and her mind and understanding, she is magnifying the Lord.
  • Praising God with our lips only is of no consequence... yes I praise Him with my tongue, but my tongue is in conjunction with my heart
• My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior
  • She knew herself to be a sinner born with original sin; she needed a Savior!
  • The Roman Catholics believe in "immaculate conception" that St Mary was born without original sin... but if that's the case, why does she need a Savior?
• For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
  • God chose St. Mary because of her humility - He regarded the lowly state.
  • St. Mary did not have an easy life and she went her whole life having made no choices:
    • She did not choose to be presented to the Temple
    • She did not choose Joseph to be her fiance
    • She did not choose to be pregnant with the Son of God
    • She did not choose to go to Egypt
    • She did not choose to live with John the Beloved
    • It is impossible for anyone to live this way if they are not humble.
• For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
  • Why? Because God chose her and she accepted the plan of God
  • Protestants who deny veneration for saints are missing this part where St Mary said that all generations will call her blessed... It is our obligation to honor and venerate St Mary
• For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
  • St Mary attributes all to God and ascribes nothing to herself or her own merits
• And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.
  • Fear of God is not submissive fear like a servant to his master, but it is reverence and respect and recognition of God's sovereignty
  • God's mercy extends to all from generation to generation
    • It is not for a certain people
    • It is not for a certain time
  • St Mary first praises God for what He has done for her, personally, but now expands to what He has done for all people
• He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
  • "His arm" refers to the mighty power of God (like after He spread the Red Sea "the right hand of God has done wonders"; plagues, destruction of Pharaoh, etc)
  • God scatters the proud like chaff or straw - Scribes and Pharisees fell from their earthly glory because in their arrogance and pride, they rejected to accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
• He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
  • St Mary is speaking prophetically and alluding to the destruction of Satan
  • Those who are humble and rely on God will be exalted; those who trust in their own wisdom will be put down from their thrones.
• He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
  • Rich refers to those who trust in their own money, resources, abilities, etc.
  • Those who are poor in spirit, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - they are rewarded.
• He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
  • Her joy in the fact that God has done great things for her rests on the fact that these great things are for all of Israel too
  • God remembered His mercy that He spoke to Abraham and the fathers
  • Jesus in her womb is the fulfillment of what God spoke to the fathers, to Abraham and to his seed
    • The seed of Abraham is not just the natural seed or according to the flesh (that's why Ishmael was not accepted)... but the children according to the Promise (Isaac). The spiritual children from the Gentiles which is all of us.