Mary hastened to the hill country of Judah...

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...so begins, Luke's description of Mary's journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation. Today, we had the opportunity to travel just outside Jerusalem to the hill country of Judah and visit the Church of the Visitation and the Church of John the Baptist. The Church of the Visitation was an incredibly serene and beautiful church, definitely my favorite so far here in Israel. As part of the daily office of our Catholic Church, we are invited to pray the Benedictus and the Magnificat as part of our morning and evening prayers, respectively. The Benedictus, or Canticle of Zechariah, celebrates the moment when John is presented and named; Zechariah is freed from his mute state and speaks the following words,

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.69 He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant,<br style="color:� font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;" />70 even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,72 to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant73 and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies,

without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,78 because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on highd]"> will visit us79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1: 68-79)



The Magnificat, or Canticle of Mary, celebrates Mary's response to Elizabeth as they greet one another,

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

48 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. (Luke 1:46-55)

I won't every be able to pray these words again without imagining myself in this beautiful setting of the hill country of Judah.

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Photos

Hill Country of Judah
More beautiful in person...