In the "sixth" month, counting from the time of John's conception. He says that the Virgin was betrothed to a man of the house of David, in order to show that she also came from the same family of David; for it was a law that both halves (in marriage) should be of the same gens and of the same tribe (Num. 36:6-9). Since the Lord said to Eve: "In sickness shalt thou bear children" (Gen. 3:16), now this illness is resolved by the joy that the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying: "Rejoice, full of grace!" Mary pondered over the greeting, whether it was not vile and vicious, such as the address of a man to a maiden, or divine, since the greeting also mentioned God: "The Lord is with Thee"? The angel, firstly, calms Her heart from fear, so that She accepts the divine answer in a calm position; for in a state of confusion she would not be able to properly listen to what is going to come to pass; then, as if to explain the above-mentioned word "Grace-filled," he says: "You have found grace with God." For to be blessed means to receive grace from God, that is, to please God. But this happiness is common, for many others have received grace from God, and the greeting offered to Mary does not yet go to anyone.

And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and his kingdom shall have no end.

"And behold, thou shalt conceive" – no other virgin has ever been honored with this privilege. He said, "In the womb"; this shows that the Lord was essentially incarnate from the very wombs of the Virgin. The one who came for the salvation of our race is rightly called "Jesus," for this name translated into Greek means "salvation from God." Jesus, according to the interpretation, means Saviour, because salvation is also called "iao". "He will be," he says, "great, and will be called the Son of the Most High." John was also great, but he was not yet the son of the Most High, and the Saviour was great in His teaching, and the "Son of the Most High" was also in His teaching, for He taught as He who had authority and by performing wondrous miracles. The visible Man is called the Son of the Most High: for since the Person was one, the Man, the Son of the Virgin, was truly the Son of the Most High. The Word was the Son of the Most High before the ages, but it was not called so and was not known; but when He was incarnated and manifested in the flesh, then He who is visible and works miracles is called the Son of the Most High. When you hear about the "throne of David," do not think of the kingdom of the senses, but think of the Divine kingdom, by which He reigned over all nations by Divine preaching. The "house of Jacob" are those who believe both from the Jews and from other nations, for such are Jacob and Israel. How is it said that He sat on the throne of David? Listen. David was the least among his brothers; and the Lord was despised and reproached as one who loves to eat and drink wine, and the son of a carpenter, and in disgrace even among his brethren, the sons of Joseph. "For even His brethren," it is said, "believed not in Him" (John 7:5). David, in spite of his charity, was persecuted; and they slandered the Lord, who works miracles, and threw stones. David conquered and reigned with meekness; and the Lord reigned, taking up the cross out of meekness. Do you see, then, in what sense it is said that He sat down on the throne of David? As David accepted the kingdom of the senses, so the Lord accepted a spiritual reign of which "there shall be no end." For there will be no end to the reign of Christ, that is, to the knowledge of God and Christianity. For even in persecution we shine with the grace of Christ.

And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know no man? The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; wherefore also the Holy One who is born shall be called the Son of God.

The Virgin said, "How it will be," not because she did not believe, but because she, as wise and prudent, wished to know the image of the present event, for nothing like this had ever happened before, nor will it happen after this. That is why the Angel forgives Her and does not condemn Her like Zechariah, but also explains the image of the event. Zechariah is justly condemned: he had many examples, since many barren gave birth, and the Virgin did not have a single example. "The Holy Spirit," he says, "will come upon Thee," making Thy womb fruitful and making flesh for the Word of one essence. "And the power of the Most High is the Son of God, for Christ is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:24), will overshadow You," that is, it will cover You, it will surround You on all sides. For as a bird completely overshadows its young, covering it with its wings, so the power of God embraced the Virgin completely; this means "to overshadow." Perhaps some will say: just as a painter first casts a shadow, then paints it completely, so the Lord, creating His own flesh and forming the image of man, first set off the flesh in the womb of the Mother, mixing it from the blood of the Ever-Virgin, and then formed it. But this is doubtful. For some say that at the same time as the Lord overshadowed the womb of the Virgin, a perfect child immediately appeared, while others do not accept this. Listen, then, to what he says: "Therefore also that which is born is holy," that is, that which grows in thy womb gradually, and not that which suddenly appeared in a perfect form. Hence the mouth of Nestorius is stopped. For he said that it was not the Son of God, who dwelt in the womb of the Virgin, who became incarnate, but the simple man, born of Mary, who afterwards began to have God as his companion. Let him hear that he who was born in the womb was the Son of God, not another who was carried in the womb and another Son of God, but one and the same Son of the Virgin and the Son of God. See how He also pointed to the Holy Trinity, naming the Holy Spirit, the power – the Son, the Most High – the Father.

Behold, Elizabeth, thy kinswoman, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is now six months old, for with God no word shall be powerless. Then Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to Me according to thy word. And the Angel departed from Her.

Perhaps some wonder how Elizabeth was related to the Virgin, when the Virgin was of the tribe of Judah, and Elizabeth of the daughters of Aaron, for the Law required that marriages should be of the same tribe, and therefore the kinship was between those who came from the same tribe. To this we can also say that since the time of the captivity the generations have been mixed, or better yet, the following: Aaron had Elizabeth, the daughter of Aminadab, as his wife, and this was of the tribe of Judah. You see, Our Lady was a relative of Elizabeth from the beginning, from Aaron. Since Aaron's wife came from the tribe of Judah, from which the Mother of God was also born, and Elizabeth was from the daughters of Aaron, it follows that Elizabeth is a relative of the Mother of God. For her foremother, Aaron's wife, was of the tribe of Judah. Look also at the succession of kinship: Aaron's wife is Elizabeth, and Zachariah's wife is Elizabeth, as she is descended from her. But let's see what the Virgin says. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto Me according to thy word": I am the painter's board; let the painter write what he wants; let the Lord do what pleases Him. Obviously, what was said before: "how it will be" was not an expression of unbelief, but of a desire to know the image; for if she had not believed, she would not have said: "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, let it be unto Me according to thy word." Know also that Gabriel means a man of God, Mary is a lady, and Nazareth is sanctification. Therefore, when God was to be made man, it is fitting that Gabriel is sent, which means: the man of God; and the greeting is performed in a holy place, that is, in Nazareth, for where God is, there is nothing unclean.

And Mary arose in these days, and went in haste to the hill country, to the city of Judah, and went into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

The Virgin, hearing from the Angel that Elizabeth had conceived, hastened to her, partly rejoicing in the well-being of her kinsman, and partly as very prudent, desiring to be finally convinced whether the truth had been spoken by Him who had appeared to her, so that, according to the justice of what was said about Elizabeth, she would not doubt what concerned Herself. For though She had hoped, yet She was afraid lest She might be deceived, and this was not out of unbelief, but out of a desire to know the matter more accurately. Zechariah lived in the hill country; that's why Virgo is in a hurry there. And John, having received a certain special gift over other people, plays in his mother's womb, which is why he is greater than the prophets (Matt. 11:9), for they prophesied after their birth, and he was vouchsafed such a gift while still in his mother's womb. Look: the Virgin greeted Elizabeth, that is, began to speak with her. Thus, the voice of the Virgin was the voice of God incarnate in Her, and therefore He vouchsafed grace to the Forerunner while still in Her womb and made Her a prophet, for the prophesied words of Elizabeth to Mary were not the words of Elizabeth, but of the Child; and the mouth of Elizabeth only served him, just as the mouth of Mary served the Son of God who was in Her womb. For Elizabeth was then filled with the Spirit, when the child leaped in the womb; If the baby hadn't leaped up, she wouldn't have prophesied. As it is said of the prophets that they first came to a supernatural state and were inspired, and then prophesied, so perhaps John, as if inspired, first leaped up, then prophesied through the mouth of his mother. What did he prophesy? "Blessed art Thou among women." Then, since many holy women bore unworthy children, for example, Rebekah Esau, he says: "And blessed is the fruit of Thy womb." It can also be understood in another way: "Blessed art Thou among women." Then, as if someone were asking: why? – states the reason: "Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb," that is, for the fruit of Thy womb is God, since God alone is blessed, as David also says; "Blessed is he who come" (Psalm 117:26). For in Scripture it is usual to use the conjunction "and" instead of the conjunction "for"; for example: "Give us help in distress, for the protection of men is vain" (Psalm 59:13), instead of: for the salvation of man is vain; and again: "Behold, Thou art angry, and we have sinned" (Isaiah 64:5), instead of: for we have sinned. He calls the Lord "the fruit of the womb" of the Mother of God, because the conception was without a man. The rest of the infants are the births of the fathers, but Christ is the fruit of one womb of the Mother of God, for She alone bore Him.

And whence is it to me that the Mother of my Lord has come to me? For when the voice of Thy greeting came to my ears, the babe leaped with joy in my womb. And blessed is she who believes, for what was spoken to her from the Lord will be fulfilled.

As later, when Christ came to be baptized, John rebuked Him out of reverence, saying: "I am not worthy" (Matt. 3:14, 11), so now he proclaims through his mother: "Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord has come to me," calling the pregnant woman the Mother, before She gave birth to the Lord. It is not customary to call other wives mothers before they give birth, for fear of unfortunate childbirth, that is, an eruption; and there was no such suspicion about the Virgin. Maria! And before Thou didst give birth, Thou art a Mother, and blessed, because Thou didst believe that there would be a fulfillment of what the Lord had said to Thee.

And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, because He has looked upon the humility of His servant, for henceforth all generations shall bless Me. that the Mighty One hath made me great, and his name is holy; and His mercy is for generations of generations to those who fear Him.

The Virgin, being absolutely sure of the truth of what was foretold to Her, glorifies God, attributing the miracle not to Himself, but to Him; for he, he says, hath looked upon me humble, and I did not look upon him; He showed Me mercy, and I did not seek Him. And "henceforth all generations shall bless Me," not only Elizabeth, but also the generations of believers. For what to please? Is it for My virtue? No! But because God has shown greatness over Me. She called Him "the Mighty One" so that everyone would believe Her words, considering that the Lord is able to do this. "His name" was called "holy" in order to show that the Purest One, conceived in the womb of a woman, is not in the least defiled, but remains Holy. "His mercy" is not to Me alone, but also to all who fear Him; for those who do not fear Him, but those who are utterly unworthy, receive no mercy. Having said that God's mercy "unto the generations of generations," she pointed out that those who fear God receive mercy both in the present generation, that is, in the present age, and in the future generation, that is, in the endless age; for here also they receive a hundredfold, and there even more (Matt. 19:29). Listen: first the soul magnifies the Lord, then the spirit rejoices. Or what is the same thing: the one who walks worthy of God magnifies God. You are called a Christian, – do not belittle the dignity and name of Christ through unworthy deeds, but magnify it through the performance of great and heavenly deeds, Then your spirit will rejoice, that is, the spiritual gift you have received through great deeds will rise and prosper, and will not be diminished and, so to speak, will die. Know also that the Scriptures seem to simply call the same thing the spirit and the soul, but that they actually distinguish. For it calls a natural man one who lives according to nature and is guided by human thoughts, for example, in case of hunger he eats, hates the enemy, and in general does not appear to rise above nature in any way; and he calls spiritual the one who overcomes the laws of nature and does not speculate about anything human. Such is the difference in Scripture between the soul and the spirit (1 Cor. 2:14-15; Gal. 6:8). Perhaps doctors distinguish them differently, but we need to listen to the Scriptures, and let doctors err.

He showed the power of His arm; He scattered the haughty in the thoughts of their hearts; He hath cast down the mighty from their thrones, and hath exalted the humble; He filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty; He received Israel His servant, remembering mercy, as He had spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed for ever. And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.