Magnificat

Visitation Icon by Charles Rohrbacher

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.
                                      Luke 1:46-55

I love this image - women meeting, cousins greeting.  Jesus and John encountering each other for the first time, while still in their mothers' wombs.

May our hearts leap with anticipation just as John leapt in his mother's womb when he looked forward to meeting Jesus at his birth!