2. Mary and Elizabeth



1. Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth

In those days, Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luc 1,39-45)

 ---    

This fact of the Virgin’s life has a clear teaching for Christians: we have to learn to help others. We can not treat filial to Mary and think only about ourselves, in our own problems. We can not treat the Virgin and have selfish personal problems.    

(Painting: The family of John the Baptist visited by the family of Christ. SCHORR von Carolsfeld, Julius. Gremalda Gallery. Dresden).

A. Choose one of the words

 • Mary went to the hill

 • The Isabel’s son jumped because of

 • Elizabeth was filled with the

 • Isabel said: Blessed are you among

 • Blessed is the fruit of your

 • Things that the... have said will be accomplished.



 

  2. Mary's Praise

Mary said:    
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,    
and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,    
because He has looked with favor    
on the humble condition of His slave.    
Surely, from now on all generations    
will call me blessed,    
because the Mighty One    
has done great things for me,    
and His name is holy.    
His mercy is from generation to generation    
on those who fear Him.    
He has done a mighty deed with His arm;    
He has scattered the proud    
because of the thoughts of their hearts;    
He has toppled the mighty from their thrones    
and exalted the lowly.    
He has satisfied the hungry with good things    
and sent the rich away empty.    
He has helped His servant Israel,    
mindful of His mercy,bv    
just as He spoke to our ancestors,    
to Abraham and his descendants forever.    
Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

---    
We should ask the Lord to not let us fall into this temptation of pride. It is the worst and more ridiculous sin. Pride is unpleasant, even humanly: the person, who considers superior to everyone and everything, is constantly contemplating himself and despising others, those who are mocking of his vain conceit.    

(Painting: The Visitation. Giotto di Bondone. Iglesia de San Francisco. Assisi. Italia)

  B. Choose one of the words

 • God has looked on the baseness of her

 • We call her blessed by her

 • It extends from generation to generation her

 • People who obtain God's mercy are those who

 • God prefers the

 • Mary spent three months in the house of

 

3. The Birth and Naming of John

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her His great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, like his father. But his mother responded, “No! He will be called John.” Then they said to her: “None of your relatives has that name.” So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: HIS NAME IS JOHN. And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard about him took it to heart, saying: “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him. (Luc 1,57-66)

 ---    
With Zacharias God makes the miracle and defeat his unbelief, but God ordinarily demands us faith and obedience without performing new miracles. For that reason He rebuked and punished Zechariah. God said the Apostle Thomas: "“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

(Painting: Holy Family with the infant Saint. John. MURILLO, Bartolome Esteban. Museum of Fine Arts. Budapest). (Painting Sagrada Familia con el niño San Juan. MURILLO, Bartolomé Esteban. Museo de Bellas Artes. Budapest)

  C. Choose one of the words

 • God had

 • What day was circumcised Juan?

 • People wanted to put them Zechariah because that was the name of his

 • Who told Zacharias that his son was called John? The

 • People gave a splint to Zechariah because he was

 • What did Zechariah after regaining speech?



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®Arturo Ramo García.-Record of intellectual property of Teruel (Spain) No 141, of 29-IX-1999 Plaza Playa de Aro, 3, 1º DO 44002-TERUEL







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