Luke 1:42Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What did he foretell? "Blessed art Thou among women." However, since numerous righteous women have given birth to unworthy offspring, such as Rebekah with Esau, he then states, "And blessed is the fruit of thy womb." This can also be interpreted differently: "Blessed art Thou among women." If anyone were to inquire, Why? - he provides the explanation: for "blessed is the fruit of thy womb," meaning the fruit of your womb is God, as God alone is blessed. David proclaims, "Blessed is he that cometh" (Psalms 117:26).

Consequently, even though John proclaimed (Luke 1:41), he was unable to testify about his Lord, his mother started to declare, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’

The Holy Spirit keeps His words alive and never forgets them, and prophecy encompasses not only extraordinary manifestations but also the precise significance of those words. What is meant by the fruit of the womb? Is it not stated, This is the heritage of the Lord: sons, the reward is the fruit of the womb (Psalm 126:3)? This implies that the heritage of the Lord consists of sons, who are the reward of the Fruit from Mary’s womb. The Saviour represents this fruit, the flower emerging from the root, as foretold by Isaiah: And there shall come forth a Branch from the root of Jesse, and a Flower shall grow from the root (Isaiah 11:1).

The infant that resided in the barren woman's womb is declared to be the one who existed in the virgin's womb, while the virgin is recognized as having been barren. For it was through the presence of the Holy Spirit that Elizabeth, who bore him, was also filled with that Spirit. By holding the prophet in her womb, she foretells and honors both the Virgin and the fruit of her womb.

Elizabeth was blessed, yet the blessing bestowed upon Mary was far greater. When we examine the Gospel narratives regarding the context of Jesus Christ's earthly existence, we can reflect on Mary's visit to Elizabeth.

In the meantime, the extraordinary grace associated with Mary's visitation offers us a glimpse of what we can anticipate in heaven through her intercession. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Elizabeth, instructs us on how to honor and pray to her. This revered woman refers to the exalted Virgin as blessed not for any reasons other than the divine gifts bestowed upon her and the holy virtues with which she embraced them. She refrains from using worldly greetings that pertain solely to fleeting earthly rewards and transitory possessions.

After the Archangel Gabriel departed from the Blessed Virgin, she made haste to visit Elizabeth in order to witness the sign that had been revealed to her by the heavenly messenger. At Elizabeth's home, Mary encountered two confirmations of the truth of the Archangel's announcement. First, she was able to affirm with her own eyes the reality of what the Archangel had conveyed regarding Elizabeth. Second, the revelation of God's Spirit made known to her the identity of the Mother of God. Upon hearing Mary's greeting, Elizabeth experienced an extraordinary movement within her, which sparked a deep joy (v. 44), and at that instant, the Holy Spirit, who overshadowed her, unveiled the significance of this movement.

Unaware of the angel's visit to Mary, Elizabeth encounters her with an extraordinary greeting reminiscent of the angel's words, as if echoing the heavenly message: Blessed are you among women. Elizabeth, having learned from her husband Zacharias that Mary had pledged herself to God in perpetual virginity and that Joseph was committed to her not as a husband but as a guardian, proclaims: And blessed is the fruit of your womb (Luke 1:42), thereby directly affirming that the Blessed Virgin will indeed become a mother.

Having received such a profound and wondrous message, the blessed Virgin felt an urgent desire to share this joy with someone who held a special place in her heart. The just Joseph, due to his age and status, was not the right person to whom she could reveal her incredible joy. Therefore, the most fitting choice was to confide in her elderly relative Elizabeth, who had herself experienced a similar joy and had been like a second mother to Mary during her upbringing in the temple. Without delay, she prepared for her journey. The path ahead was neither short nor easy; it required a trek of at least three or four days through rugged mountains.

“Blasting forth with great joy and exuberance, Elizabeth exclaims, ‘Blessed art thou,’ echoing the angel’s salutation that was delivered to Mary during the Annunciation. This coincidence surely caught the attention of the Virgin, who was keenly aware of God's divine workings. The declaration ‘Blessed is the fruit’ refers to the Child conceived and destined to be born of Mary. This profound mystery had been revealed to Elizabeth, not through her own understanding but as a divine revelation from above. As Theophilus suggests, Elizabeth’s prophetic utterances were not merely her own but were words inspired by the child within her, just as Mary’s words were a service to the Son of God growing within her womb. From this, Mary could surely discern the truth of the angel's message, realizing that all of this unfolded through God’s sovereign will and design.”

In the tranquil and isolated home of Zacharias, the arrival of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a complete surprise, and Elizabeth could hardly imagine that anyone from the far-off Nazareth would have knowledge of her circumstances; even less could the Mother of God foresee that the message from the Archangel would be shared with anyone other than herself. Nevertheless, in this encounter between two favored women within God’s divine plan, an extraordinary occurrence was prepared, revealing to them that all that was transpiring was the handiwork of God.