The second joyful mystery: The Visitation

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:39-55)

In this mystery we recall the meeting between an expectant Elizabeth, who never thought she would bear a child, and Mary, who is to give birth to God’s own Son.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth exclaims: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Words that we continue to pray today.

Mary responds with her great song of God’s liberating justice and compassion, which we know as the Magnificat. She sings praise of God, whose concern is for those who are poor and marginalised and whose kingdom turns the worldly order upside down.

These words will soon find fulfilment as her Son announces his mission to bring good news to those who are poor, freedom to the oppressed and to proclaim Jubilee - the year of the Lord’s favour.

As we pray this decade of the rosary, we ask that Mary’s song of joy and justice will be our song in this Jubilee Year. And we pray to be blessed with the boldness to work for Mary’s transformative vision of a world made new.

Pray the Our Father.

Pray a Hail Mary on each of the ten beads of the decade.

Pray the Glory Be.

You may also want to add the Fatima invocation