In honor of the Feast of the Visitation (May 31), let’s revisit the scene and take in the details:
“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill county, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child 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?”
And Mary remained with her for about three months.” (Luke 1:39-43, 56)
Now let’s visit a scene about the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament. What follows is condensed from 2 Samuel chapter 6:
“David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God….
And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark….And David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
…[So] David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months….
[Then] David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing….And David danced before the Lord with all his might.”
Did you notice the parallels between the two stories?
- David arose and went to Baale-judah. Mary arose and went to a city of Judah.
- David danced before the Lord with all his might. The child leaped in Elizabeth’s womb.
- David asked, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” Elizabeth asked, “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
- The ark remained in Obed-edom’s house for three months. Mary remained with Elizabeth for three months.
What’s the main takeaway? Mary is the “new Ark of the Covenant.”
That has huge ramifications!
First, it means Mary is the Mother of God. The Lord Himself is in her womb.
Second, it means she’s sinless. The ark contains the presence and power of God. Uzzah merely touches the ark and he dies. God’s same presence and power are in Mary’s body, yet she does not die. Why? Because she is full of grace, purified for such intimate contact with God.
Mary deserves our special veneration. When you unpack Scripture passages like the Visitation, you’ll see why.
To discover more exciting parallels and teachings about Mary, get the book “Behold Your Mother” from the Everything Catholic store today.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
