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The Life of
Jesus |
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About
this Narrative |
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This
continuous Story of Jesus is based on the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in the North American Bible
version, as published by the
United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. None of the words had
been changed and none are added. All graphics are used
with implied permission from
Hermano
Leon. |
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The Visitation |
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Mary
left Nazareth to visit her cousin
Elizabeth at a Judean town over the mountains to Hebron,
south of Jerusalem. .
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child in her
womb, John the Baptist, leapt with joy. The story is told
in Luke (1:39-42).
The word
"Canticle" is derived from canticulum, (diminutive
of canticum, meaning a song, from the Latin canere,
to sing). It is used in the English Catholic translation
of the Bible as the equivalent of the Vulgate canticum
in most, but not all, of the uses of that
word. There are 10 Canticles in the Roman Breviary. |
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Mary Visits
Elizabeth |
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Luke 1:39-42 |
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During
those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill
country in haste to a town of Judah, where
she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted
Elizabeth.
When
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in
her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried
out in a loud voice and said, "Most
blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my
Lord should come
to me?
For at
the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed
are you who believed that what was spoken to you by
the Lord would be fulfilled." |
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The Canticle of Mary
(commonly known as the "Magnificat"
from its first word)
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And Mary
said: |
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"My soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my
spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he
has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from
now on will all ages call me blessed.
The
Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is
his name.
His
mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has
shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of
mind and heart.
He has
thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted
up the lowly.
The
hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has
sent away empty.
He has
helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham
and to his descendants forever."
Mary
remained with her about three months and then returned
to her home.
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The Birth of John |
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When the
time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave
birth to a son. Her
neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown
his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with
her.
When
they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his
father, but his
mother said in reply, "No. He
will be called John."
But they
answered her, "There
is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they
made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be
called. He asked
for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all
were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then
fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these
matters were discussed throughout the hill country of
Judea.
All who
heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What,
then, will this child be?"
For
surely the hand of the Lord was with him. |
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The Canticle of
Zechariah
(commonly referred to as the "Benedictus" from its
first word) |
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Then
Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit,
prophesied, saying: |
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"Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and
brought redemption to his people.
He has
raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of
David his servant,
even as
he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets
from of old:
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all
who hate us,
to show
mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy
covenant
and of
the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant
us that,
rescued
from the hand of enemies, without fear we might
worship him
in
holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you,
child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for
you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give
his people knowledge of salvation through the
forgiveness of their sins,
because
of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak
from on high will visit us
to shine
on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to
guide our feet into the path of peace."
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The
child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in
the desert until the day of his manifestation to
Israel. |
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