Red-Letter Day
The Visitation
May 31
also known as The Visitation, Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, Visitation of Our Lady
The Visitation celebrates Mary's journey to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist—an event recorded in Luke 1:39-56. At Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child (John) 'leaped in the womb,' and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizing Mary as 'the mother of my Lord.' In response, Mary sang the Magnificat, one of the Church's greatest canticles, which celebrates God's reversal of earthly power and his favor toward the humble and lowly.
Traditionally, the Visitation is understood as a moment of profound encounter between the old and new covenants—between John, the greatest of the prophets, and Jesus, the Messiah. The greeting of Elizabeth and the leap of John in the womb are seen as a form of witness and honor to the incarnate Son of God. The Magnificat has been sung daily in the Christian Church at Evening Prayer (Vespers) since ancient times and is one of the most beloved prayers in Christian tradition. Mary's voluntary journey to serve and care for her elderly cousin is portrayed as an example of Christian charity and humility.
Luke 1:39-56 records the visitation. After the Annunciation, Mary 'rose up in those days' and went 'into the hill country' to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Luke notes that Elizabeth was 'in her sixth month' (of pregnancy), while Mary had just conceived Jesus—placing the visitation chronologically six months before John's nativity.
When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the unborn John 'leaped in the womb,' and Elizabeth was 'filled with the Holy Spirit.' She cried out in a loud voice: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?' Elizabeth's recognition of Mary as 'the mother of my Lord' is theologically significant: the unborn John bore witness to the unborn Jesus; the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth with prophetic knowledge.
In response to Elizabeth's greeting, Mary sang her great canticle, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55): 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.... He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.'
The Magnificat is a revolutionary hymn of divine justice and mercy, echoing the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) and the themes of the Psalms. It celebrates God's preferential option for the lowly and his overturning of human hierarchies. Mary remained with Elizabeth 'about three months' (through the birth of John) and then returned to her home.
The May 31 date (or June 1 in some traditions) has been observed since at least the late medieval period, though the feast was not universally standardized until later. The feast celebrates not merely a historical event but a moment of encounter between the two greatest figures of the Old Testament order (John, the last of the prophets) and the New Testament order (Jesus, the Son of God). It marks the moment when the 'great things' God promised to do for Mary began to unfold in history.
Almighty God, by whose grace Elizabeth rejoiced with the blessed Virgin Mary and greeted her as the mother of the Lord: Look with favor on your lowly servants, that, with Mary, we may magnify your holy Name and rejoice to acclaim her Son as our Savior; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Zephaniah 3:14–18Psalm 113 or Isaiah 12:2–6Colossians 3:12–17Luke 1:39–56