OUR LADY'S VISITATION AND SAINT ELIZABETH
3. Elizabeth's Praises.
As soon as St. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, she recognized the Divine Conception of Mary by which She had become the Mother of God. She broke into exclamations of praise: Blessed art Thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb. Consider how the greatness of Mary is known only under the light of Heaven. Only through prayer, only by asking it from the Lord. We should, then, pray that we may realize what Mary is. Without light from above we cannot catch a glimpse of Her beauty nor recognize Her next-to-infinite sanctity.
Consider the mystery of these exclamations of St. Elizabeth on seeing the greatness of Her cousin. What did she discover in Her since the Gospel tells us that she could not control herself, but in a loud voice broke into irresistible cries of surprise and joy.
Consider that the words she utters are the very words of the Angel: Blessed art Thou amongst women . . . What an admirable coincidence! The Angel and the woman greet Mary as the Queen of Heaven and earth raised above all creatures. Marvellous, indeed, are the ways of the Lord.
What must have taken place in the heart of Mary on seeing the mystery of Her divine maternity discovered by Her cousin and on hearing repeated the very words of the Angel? Angels, men, earth and heaven are all united in the same praise. That is so because the Author is the same: it was the Holy Spirit Who inspired the Angel and St. Elizabeth; it was the loving Spouse of Mary who thus made use of all creatures in order to exalt and praise Her.
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