THE VISITATION
'My soul magnifies the Lord' (Lk 1, 46)
(From the Bible the work reference tracks produced by Mosaic School of Friuli and, in short, the comment / explanation of Paolo Orlando author of the sketches. Ph.: Ulderica Da Pozzo)
Lk 1, 39-56
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah. He entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! What do I have that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the babe leaped with joy in my womb. And blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has told you. "
Mary said:
"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
He has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
He has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
from generation to generation his mercy towards them that fear him.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts;
He has put down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things, sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,
as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever. "
Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Mary, who comes near to Elizabeth with an affectionate embrace or, as in other traditional depictions, with his hands up while singing the "Magnificat", is called the Virgin of the Sign. In fact, soon after the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel, she sets out to find the "sign", the unexpected pregnancy of her elderly cousin.
The place looks like the mountains of Judea. The construction window overlooking Zechariah with his hand over his mouth, because he can not speak, muted by his hesitancy; his voice will melt the birth of his son, John the Baptist, with the singing of the "Benedictus".
Since Vespers, then, and in expectation of Lodi, the hands of the two women gently indicate the presence of the sons of which are on hold and that will complete the Old and New Testament.