Today we observe the Visitation. While pregnant with Jesus, the Virgin Mary visited her relative, Elizabeth, who was then pregnant with John the Baptist, another child conceived under miraculous circumstances. In the presence of Christ, John ‘leaps’ in his mother’s womb, foreshadowing his role as forerunner of the Messiah. This presence of the Messiah also caused Elizabeth to proclaim Mary’s blessedness and Mary responded with the Magnificat, a summation of her place in salvation history and God’s gracious gifts.