11/12/2025
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
VISION DIVINA INSTRUCTIONS
PRAY
Begin with a brief word of prayer.
Be still, be silent.
“Please guide my thinking and guide my seeing. Speak with me I pray. AMEN.”
FIRST IMPRESSION
Look on the image. What part of the art initially drew your eye? Was it a tone, a shadow, a detail? A particular strand? For a moment, think of the very first detail of the painting which stood out to you. Slow your breathing and ask God to speak through that detail.
VIEW
Try not to focus on any one part, let your eyes drift around the image. Focus on what the image is making you feel. Uncomfortable? Hopeful? Sad? Happy? Does the image provoke questions in you, does it connect with any memories? Is there a Bible verse or a story which comes to mind?
TRAVEL
In your third viewing of the painting, begin by looking at the top left corner. Now slowly let your vision track left to right to right, then down and back to the left, as if your eyes are a scanner and you are taking in the whole image. Where does your eye naturally rest? Now, ask yourself the simple question “where am I in this painting and where is God?”
LISTEN
In silence mentally take a step back from the image and once again view the whole. How are you being spoken to through the practice of looking at the painting. What thoughts are beginning to solidify for you. Is God trying to tell you something?
RESPOND
What are you going to do based on your experience? Print the image and pin it to your fridge? Save the image to your computer? Go and read up on something? Pray for someone? Are you going to go through the steps again later to see if something different comes to you?
POEM.
The Visitation.
In that thin place of meeting mothers,
The veil of heaven drawn tight
Celestial light and melody seep through
With angel promises echoing,
And heaven’s song ringing.
The greeting call of a travel worn girl,
Falls on the ears of well-loved kin
Salutation as grace notes to the angel chorus,
Now heard as dancer’s caller,
by one who would call others,
from riverside repentant trudge
to dance the wilderness and desert.
Humanity first step into the holy dance
is the leap of prenatal prophet,
Dancing before crawling
First steps before first steps.
His nearby kin, yet barely formed
The love of God becoming man
The Trinity dance stretches out a hand,
Inviting all to join the dance.
REFLECT
I am not sure how I never noticed this before. Mary going to visit her relative Elizabeth was not a simple incidental part of the story, secondary to the prenatal meeting of John the Baptist and Jesus.
Firstly, this was a LONG trip, a good week’s worth of walking. Not a drop of the hat decision. It was a helpful escape from the possible danger of being discovered pregnant before the marriage was complete, but was this Mary’s first thought? Was it for her own safety or was it because she heard that her elderly relative was 6 months pregnant and Mary wanted to help?
We find in the reading, that Mary remained with Elizabeth for 3 months, and if my maths is correct 3+6=9. So Mary would likely have stayed for the birth of John.
As much as this is a story of the Prophet John and the Messiah Jesus, showing their close bond before even birth. I feel it is an important story of two women putting themselves through danger and struggle as an elderly mother (probably only 50 but in 1st Century Palestine, this would have been rough) and a young mother (likey not older than 15).
Two women, of immense faith around whom history pivots.
What would you have done?
Would you risk everything?
What does this story tell us?
