The infant in my womb leaped for joy...

La Visitation by Jacopo da Pontormo (Be sure to click on image for larger version, better color and detail!)

Saturday, May 31, is the Feast of the Visitation which the painting above depicts. To understand the story of this feast, read the beginning of Luke's gospel.

And here's a beautiful reflection on the feast and the Lucan account that pulls it all together from Zechariah's vantage point. (Zechariah was Elizabeth's husband.)

Those who pray the Rosary know the Visitation as the second of the Joyful Mysteries.

One can hardly ponder the scripture and the feast here without renewing reverence for life in all its shapes and forms, no matter how small that form may be. The joy of the Visitation is captured by the notion that somehow John, in Elizabeth's womb, already recognizes in Mary's womb, the One whose coming he will herald and in whose name he will baptize many in the Jordan. And of course, John leaps for joy in his mother's womb at the nearness of the One for whose name he will give his life.

For some Marian music for your celebration of this feast, turn your ears and heart to these posts.

(And I hoped you clicked on the da Pontormo above to enjoy the larger version!)

-ConcordPastor