"My Soul Magnifies the Lord!"

Today we went to Ein Kerem (“spring of the vineyard”), the place of the Visitation of Mary and the birthplace of John the Baptist.  Just on the west side of Jerusalem and just east of where we are staying, the picturesque village of Ein Kerem invites you to come and relax.  Its neighborhoods have a friendly, Mediterranean flair and its streets are lined with shops, art galleries, and lovely sidewalk cafes.  For the pilgrim, there are a number of important things to see, two of which are among our favorites so far.

First, Ein Kerem has been identified as the hometown of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist.  Zechariah was serving his turn as priest in nearby Jerusalem when the angel announced to him that his wife Elizabeth would become pregnant and would bear a son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, would be a great man of God and would turn many people to the Lord.  This was startling news to Zechariah, for both he and Elizabeth were well along in years.  Because of his incredulity he was rendered unable to speak until the child was born (Luke 1:5-23).  Later, when young John was born, his father’s mouth was opened and he sang the beautiful song of prophecy and praise known to us as the “Benedictus,” from Luke 1:68-79).  “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel!  He has visited his people and redeemed them…”

 

So here in Ein Kerem stands the Church of St. John Ba Harim (St. John of the Mountains), also known as the Church of St. John the Baptist.  Outside the church in the courtyard are rows of ceramic plaques with the Benedictus printed in dozens of languages from all over the world. 

 Inside, the church is adorned with classical art donated by Queen Isabella of Spain.  To the right is a painting by the renowned Spanish painter El Greco (1541-1614); to the left you descend to the grotto where John the Baptist was born.  Elizabeth had her baby in the rock grotto because King Herod had ordered the killing of the firstborn.  Some of the art on the walls depicts with great emotion the birth of her precious child and his concealment from the bloodthirsty king.  All around are the figures of Zechariah and Elizabeth, her cousin Mary the mother of Jesus, and also St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.

 

Uphill from the Church of St. John the Baptist is one of my favorite places on Earth.  It is the Church of the Visitation, built on top of the mountain where a pregnant Virgin Mary met her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, prompting baby John to leap in his mother’s womb and Mary to burst into song.   

“In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1:39-40).  Upon her greeting, the child leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”  Mary’s response was the beautiful and prophetic song we know as “The Magnificat” from the Latin form of the first word:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47-55)!

Now here is Mary, and here is Elizabeth – one is young and one is old, two women for whom birth would seem obviously impossible, but the angel has told them that “nothing will be impossible with God.”  The presence of the Holy Spirit in this place is STILL palpable.

Entering the courtyard of the church, there is a beautiful bronze statue of Mary greeting Elizabeth.  There are rows of the ceramic plaques featuring the Magnificat in many languages.  Linda even found one in Swahili to share with Liz and Eric. 

 

Inside, the church has intricate mosaic floors and vivid frescoes depicting both the visitation and Elizabeth hiding her son John the Baptist, as well as Zechariah serving in the Temple.  One of the frescoes even shows Herod’s murderous soldiers going after the babies.  That one made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, as I thought of the cruelty that humanity is capable of.  But then I thought of the hope and faith of these brave women for whom “nothing will be impossible with God.”  Thank God for them and for women of faith like them. 

 

Recessed in the wall to the right of the altar is a large rock with an inscription indicating this is one of the rocks behind which baby John was hid.  Outside are shady resting places with panoramic views of the Judean hills.  As I looked out at those hills from the spot where this portentous meeting took place, I could see a young Mary throw back her head and sing, sing of God’s future as though it were already fulfilled in the present.  Now that’s faith.