22. You have learned, young women, the modesty of Mary: learn humility. The near one comes to the neighbor, the younger to the older: not only does she come, but she also greets first; for it is fitting that the purer the virgin, the more humble she is. Let her know how to show honor to her elders. Let her be the mistress of humility, in which is the profession of chastity. It is also the cause of piety, it is also the rule of doctrine. For it must be understood that the superior comes to the inferior, so that the inferior may be helped: Mary to Elizabeth, Christ to John. Finally, also afterwards, in order to sanctify the baptism of John, the Lord came to the baptism. The rapid arrival of Mary also declares the benefits of the Lord's presence.
(Vers. 41.)
(Verse 41.) For when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
23. See the distinction and the properties of each word. Elizabeth heard the voice first, but John sensed the grace first: she heard it according to the order of nature, he rejoiced according to the reason of mystery: she heard it for Mary, he sensed the coming of the Lord: a woman of a woman, and a pledge of a pledge. The former speak of grace, the latter work within, and they worship at the maternal beginnings of piety; by a double miracle they prophesy, the mothers by the spirit of little ones. The infant rejoiced, and the mother was filled. The mother was not filled before the son, but when the son was filled with the Holy Spirit, he also filled the mother. John rejoiced, and the spirit of Mary rejoiced. While John was rejoicing, Elizabeth was filled: but we know that Mary's spirit rejoiced, not that her spirit was filled; for the incomprehensible (God) was working in the mother in an incomprehensible way. And she was filled after conception, while Mary was filled before conception.
(Vers. 42, 43.)
(Verse 42, 43) Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
The Holy Spirit knows his own word and never forgets it. And prophecy is fulfilled not only by miracles, but also by the accuracy of its words. Who is this fruit of the womb, if not the one of whom it is said: Behold, the inheritance of the Lord are his sons, the reward is the fruit of the womb (Psalm 126:3)? That is, the sons are the inheritance of the Lord, who are the reward, the fruit of him who came forth from the womb of Mary. He himself is the fruit of the womb, the flower of the root, of which Isaiah prophesied well, saying: There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root (Isaiah 11:1); for the root is the family of the Jews, the rod is Mary, the flower is Christ of Mary: who, like the fruit of a good tree, now flourishes, now bears fruit in us by the progress of our virtue, now is restored by the resurrection of the body.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
25. He does not say this as if he were ignorant; for he knows the grace and operation of the Holy Spirit, that the mother of the Prophet is greeted by the mother of the Lord for the progress of her pledge of salvation: but he speaks as if he knows that this is not a merit of human nature, but a gift of divine grace, saying: Why is this granted to me? That is, what good has happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? I do not recognize my own worthiness. Why is this granted to me, by what righteousness, by what deeds, by what merits? These are uncommon duties for women: That the mother of my Lord should come to me. I feel a miracle, I understand a mystery: the mother of my Lord, pregnant by the Word, is full of God.
(Vers. 44, 45.)
(Verse 44, 45.) For behold, as soon as the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed.
26. You see that Mary did not hesitate, but believed; and therefore she obtained the fruit of faith. Blessed, he says, are you who believed. But blessed are you also, who have heard and believed; for whatever the soul believes, it conceives and gives birth to the Word of God, and recognizes His works. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of us, so that we may magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one of us, so that we may rejoice in God. If according to the flesh she is the one mother of Christ, yet according to faith Christ is the fruit of all. Indeed, the soul receives the Word of God, but only if it is immaculate and free from vices, preserving chastity with unblemished modesty.
27. Therefore, whatever kind of soul she could have been, she magnifies the Lord, just as the soul of Mary magnified the Lord, and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior. For the Lord is magnified, as it is written elsewhere in the law: Magnify the Lord with me (Psalm 33:44); not that anything can be added to the Lord by the human voice, but because he is magnified in us. For Christ is the image of God; and therefore, if the soul does anything just or religious, it magnifies that image of God, after whose likeness it was created. And thus, while she magnifies him, she becomes more sublime by a certain participation in his greatness; so that she appears to express that image of splendid colors of good deeds, and a certain emulation of virtue in herself. But the soul of Mary magnifies the Lord, and her spirit rejoices in God; because both her soul and spirit, devoted to the Father and the Son, with a pious affection, worship one God from whom all things, and one Lord through whom all things.
28. The better the person, the fuller the prophecy, follows Mary. It does not seem idle that Elizabeth prophesies before John and Mary before the generation of the Lord; for the beginnings of human salvation are already taking root. For just as sin began with women, so too are good things initiated by women; so that even women, laying aside feminine works, may renounce weakness and, like Mary who knows no error, imitate chastity with devoted zeal.
(Vers. 56.)
(Verse 56) But Mary stayed with her for three months, and then returned to her own home.
29. Holy Mary was well prepared, and performed her duty, and kept the mystical number. For it is not only because of familiarity that she stayed for a long time, but also because of the great progress of such a prophet. For if such great progress occurred at the first encounter, so that the infant in the womb leaped for joy at the greeting of Mary, and the mother of the child was filled with the Holy Spirit, how much presence do we think Holy Mary added with the use of such a long time? However, Mary stayed with her for three months. And so he was conceived, and like a good athlete, he was exercised in the womb of his mother, the prophet. For his power was being prepared for the struggle. Finally, Mary remained until Elizabeth's time of giving birth was complete. And if you carefully consider, you will find this nowhere except in the generation of the righteous. Finally, the days were fulfilled for Mary to give birth; the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to give birth; the time of life was fulfilled when the holy men departed from this course of life. The righteous have fullness of life, but the days of the wicked are empty.
30. Therefore, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and the neighbors rejoiced. The edition of the saints has the joy of many, because it is a common good; for justice is a common virtue. And therefore, in the birth of the just, a sign of future life is anticipated, and the grace of future virtue is prefigured by the exultation of the neighbors. But the time when the Prophet was in the womb is described beautifully; lest the presence of Mary be silent: but the time of infancy is kept silent, because the presence of the Lord is confirmed in the mother's womb, who knew not the impediments of infancy. And therefore in the Gospel we read nothing more about him except his birth, his oracle, the exultation in the womb, and the voice in the desert. For he did not experience any age of infancy, who, being placed in the womb of his mother above nature, above age, began from the measure of the perfect age of the fullness of Christ.
(Vers. 60, 64.)
(Verse 60, 64.) And his mother answered and said: No, but he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is no one of your kindred who is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all marveled. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
31. The holy Evangelist thought it necessary to be sent before, because many thought that the infant should be called by his father's name Zacharias; so that you may understand that it was not the name of any degenerate person that the mother disliked, but rather the name infused by the Holy Spirit which had been announced by the angel beforehand to Zacharias. And indeed, he, being mute, was unable to communicate the name of the son to his wife; but through the prophecy of Elizabeth, he learned what he had not learned from his husband: his name is John, she said, which means, we do not impose a name on him, who has already received a name from God. It has its own name which we have known, not chosen. The saints have this merit, that they receive their name from God. Thus Jacob is called Israel (Gen. XXXII, 28), because he saw God. Thus our Lord Jesus was named before he was born: not by an angel, but by the Father. For it will be revealed, he says, that my son Jesus will be with those who will rejoice with him, who have been left behind for four hundred years. And after these years, my son Christ Jesus will die. . . and the age shall be transformed (IV Esdras VII, 28-30). You see angels announcing what they have heard, not what they have invented. Do not be surprised if a woman declares a name she has not heard; when the Holy Spirit, who had been sent by the Angel, revealed it to her. The Lord could not ignore the prophesying that had foretold Christ.
32. And it is well added that no one in his kindred was called by this name; so that you may understand that the name is not of his lineage, but of the prophet. Zechariah is also questioned by a sign, but because his unbelief had taken away both speech and hearing, which he could not do with his voice, he spoke with his hand and in writing; for he wrote, saying: His name is John. And this name is not imposed, but foreshadowed: and rightly immediately his tongue was loosed; because while unbelief had bound it, faith unbound it. Let us also believe, so that we may speak, that our language, which is bound by the chains of unbelief, may be freed by the voice of reason. Let us write with the spirit of mystery, if we wish to speak: let us write the foretelling of Christ not on stone tablets, but on the tablets of our fleshly hearts. For whoever speaks of John, prophesies of Christ. Let us speak of John, let us speak of Christ, so that our own mouth may also be opened, which in the priest of such great irrational manner, held back the reins of wavering faith, like a bridle on a wandering horse.
(Vers. 67.)
(Verse 67.) And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying.
See how good God is, and how easy he is to forgive sins: he not only restores what has been taken away, but also grants unexpected favors. He, who was silent for a long time, now prophesies; for this is the greatest grace of God, that those who denied him now confess. Therefore, let no one doubt, let no one who is aware of their past sins despair of divine rewards. The Lord knows how to change his sentence, if you know how to amend your offense (On Penance, Distinction 1, Chapter The Lord knows).