The Marian celebrations of Advent (Second part)

December 21st Feast: The Visit of Elizabeth

It is the feast of the Visitation in Advent time! This mystery is revisited on May 31st.Biblical, patristic, and liturgical tradition, both Eastern and Western, has consistently associated this celebration with the image of the wife from the Song of Songs, giving a joyful and lyrical tone to the liturgy. What is said about the wife applies to Mary. The hurried journey (in haste, Lk 1:39) portrays Mary as the icon of the Church, beloved and passionate for God, her husband. The conclusion drawn is the theme of God’s presence in the Virgin, representing the people of God. If this reading presents pastoral challenges, an easier alternative is offered, but always focusing on the theme of God’s presence within His people (You are among them: Zeph 3:14-18a) and in the daughter of Zion where messianic expectation culminates.The Gospel pericope describes Mary’s encounter with her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45), postponing the proclamation of the Virgin’s canticle to the following day (Lk 1:46-55). Therefore, the commemoration on December 22nd extends this mystery. The chiastic meeting takes place between the two mothers and their children: John the Baptist is the first among the saints to receive Mary’s intercession. Sanctified, he leaps while Jesus pours out in a paschal anticipation the spirit of prophecy upon both women: the two mothers meet in a hymn of blessing to God, which resounds in Mary. Through this canticle, born from her wise meditation on sacred scriptures, all of Israel bursts forth unanimously into messianic joy. All memorials of the Old Testament (blessings, praises, thanksgiving) celebrating the miracles of God are condensed in this canticle of the Magnificat.The entrance hymn (cf. Is 7:14; 8:10) emphasizes the theme of coming: Jesus is carried by Mary, the new ark of the covenant, on his journey to serve his kinswoman, from Nazareth to Ain Karim. The words “Emanuel, God with us” are immediately recognized as a foreshadowing of what the readings will develop. The Communion antiphon is the beginning of the Virgin’s song: the part represents the whole. Those who commune in the body and blood of the Lord, with the singing of the Magnificat, are led and guided to experience Mary’s life: carrying Christ within herself and bringing him to her brothers.The Collect’s prayer does not contain a direct reference to the mystery celebrated. The “Son coming in the humility of human condition” is, however, an allusion to Jesus’ coming that corresponds to his visit to Elizabeth.Mary’s Pre-Natal Sunday (Fourth Advent)Pre-Natal Sunday has been reimagined and returned to being a major Marian piety occasion for the liturgy, even though it is not highlighted by a specific designation. Like other Marian feasts, it has absorbed liturgical traditions linked to December’s “Tempora”: thus, events from the Gospels of Infancy that preceded the Lord’s birth are woven into a more organic narrative.The lectionary suggests the following readings:

Year	Prophet	Apostle	Gospel
A	Is 7:10-14: “A virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”	Rom 1:2-7: “Jesus Christ, of the lineage of David, Son of God”	Mt 1:18-24: “Jesus will be born of Mary, wife of Joseph, of the lineage of David.”
B	2 Sam 7:1-5.8b-12.14a.16: “The kingdom of David shall endure forever before God.”	Rom 16:25-27: “The mystery that was hidden from ages and generations is now revealed.”	Lk 1:26-38: “You will conceive and give birth to a son.”
C	Micah 5:1-4a: “A prince shall come out of you, one whose origin is from old.”	Heb 10:5-10: “Behold, I am coming to do your will.”	Lk 1:39-45: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Five of them are already read on major feasts, but combined in different ways: the announcement to Joseph (Mt 1:18-24) on December 18th. The announcement to Mary and her visit to Elizabeth on December 20th and 21st, respectively. The oracle of Emmanuel (Is 7:10-14) and the prophecy of Nathan (2Sm 7) on December 20th and in the morning mass of December 24th, respectively. Due to the priority of the festive lectionary over the day of the week, this is how Christians who attend Sunday Mass are presented with what is deepened by the small number of faithful present: the Marian memories previously celebrated are thus strengthened both for the festive celebration and for the more extensive use of biblical texts.The choices made in the lectionary were done within a fairly coherent and not overly extensive literary context (the origins of Christ stand out historically only in the context of the Davidic dynasty, according to the perceptions of the Pauline letters and especially the infant gospels). The evangelical pericope remains at the center of community reflection, punctuated by proclamations of faith from the early church and illuminated by some royal and messianic oracles from Israel’s tradition. This favors the emergence of Marian celebrations: the Virgin, true “daughter of Zion,” encapsulates in her history of grace all the tension of previous history.The emphasis on Mary, without being the only one, is a characteristic component of this Sunday: as Christmas approaches, the figure of Mary moves to the forefront, as happened with John the Baptist in the two preceding Sundays. The Virgin, chosen by God, is filled with grace and a faithful servant, and continues to be, within the community of men, both believers and non-believers, a sign of complete openness to the God who comes. In this context, we understand that the readings from the Apostle are messianic.The eucharistic prayer also addresses the mystery realized in Mary of Nazareth, with an allusion in the Prayer of the Collect and an explicit memory in the prayer over the offerings. The Collect, which presents in three lines the unity and globality of the Christ mystery, incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection, has become the daily prayer in the recitation of the Angelus.> «Infundi, Seigneur, tua gratia in nostras almas, ut per announcementem angeli, cognoscimus incarnationem tui Filii, per passionem et mortem eius in crucis, ad gloriam resurrectionis perveniamus.» (Let God pour his grace into our hearts, that through the announcement of the angel we may know the incarnation of your Son, through his passion and death on the cross, we may attain the glory of the resurrection.)The emphasis placed on the first event explicitly recalls the announcement of the angel and the revelation of the incarnation: Mary’s discreet presence makes her closely linked to the mystery of the Son. The prayer over the offerings is an epiclesis: «Consagra questi doni con il tuo Spirito che ha riempito il seno della Vergine Maria». (Consecrates these gifts with your Spirit who filled the Virgin Mary’s womb). The parallel is bold and effective.The speech reveals a careful consideration for Christological, pneumatological, and ecclesiological themes, with the role of the Word-Person central to them. In this mystery of listening and obedience, Mary serves as the exemplary form for approaching the event of redemption.Advent Masses in Honor of MaryFor pilgrimage occasions to Marian shrines, local festivals, special celebrations honoring Our Lady, and Saturdays, the Missal offers a unique form for Advent, also serving as the Common of Our Lady during this period.Formularies for Our Lady’s Masses: Advent> 1. The Virgin Mary, chosen daughter of Israel
2. The Virgin Mary, in the Announcement of the Lord
3. The Visit of Saint Mary, the VirginOften, elements from previous celebrations during Advent are used. The unique element, the prayer after Communion, is worth noting: *”Lord our God, who filled us with the body and blood of Your Son, ever manifest Your mercy within us as we, through faith, venerate the mystery of the Virgin Mother, so that we may be prepared to receive the pledge of salvation.”* At the moment of celebration, this fruit is identified with the Eucharist, which is received as a guarantee of salvation. In the mystery of Christmas, it is seen as the beginning of future blessings.Final Prayer*”God of infinite goodness, who sees Your people faithfully awaiting the Lord’s Nativity, grant us to reach the solenities of our salvation and celebrate them with renewed joy. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who is God, and lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for all eternity. Amen.”*To deepen your understanding of Marian celebrations during Advent, refer to Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation *Marialis Cultus*, on Marian feasts in the liturgical year.Explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and a Postgraduate degree in Mariology for further study.