Pregnancy & the Postpartum Period as Sacred Liturgy: A Theological Reflection on the Visitation
Painting: La Visitation avec Marie-Jacobie et Marie-Salomé - Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448–1494)
Pope Urban VI instituted the Feast of the Visitation in 1389 to seek Mary’s intercession in ending the Great Schism. The feast had earlier roots in Byzantium, where it was linked to a Marian celebration on 2 July. Adopted by the Franciscans in 1263, it became known as the Visitation of Mary. After the Second Vatican Council, the feast was moved to 31 May – closing the month dedicated to Mary annually.
As a feast rooted in rich theological and spiritual meaning, the scene of the visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) entails the journey of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is newly pregnant with Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth who is six months into her miraculous pregnancy with John the Baptist. This encounter is multifaceted: a celebration of family and prophecy, a witness to the sanctity of pregnancy, the solidarity of women and the Divine manifestation of the Incarnation.
From this encounter, I identify several interconnected themes that highlight the sanctity of pregnancy and early motherhood – rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and offering a foundation upon which pastoral reflections and recommendations can take shape.
Pregnancy as Sacred Vocation
Through Mary and Elizabeth, pregnancy takes shape as a sacred responsibility that entails a participation in God's redemptive work. Mary's ‘YES’ in Luke 1:38 is more than a personal acceptance – but represents a universal cooperation in the divine plan of the Incarnation. Elizabeth, now elderly and once barren, deeply understands the pain of infertility and sees her pregnancy as a gift of grace and mercy. Their stories emphasise the Church’s belief that every life is sacred from conception – “Motherhood is the fruit of a ‘particular creative potential of the female body, directed to the conception and birth of a new human being’. Each woman shares in ‘the mystery of creation, which is renewed with each birth’” (Amoris Laetitia #168). Scripture teaches that the womb is a sacred space, where God works unseen miracles.
“You created every part of me;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know it with all my heart” (Psalm 139:13-14)
In Mary, the womb becomes the first tabernacle and in Elizabeth, it becomes the cradle of the prophet. Both show us that pregnancy is a divine invitation to lovingly care for new life.
A Liturgy of Life and Joy
Elizabeth’s exclamation ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’ is more than praise alone – but liturgical. It later becomes part of the ‘Hail Mary’ uniting all believers in honouring Jesus. Here, John’s leap in his mother’s womb is a form of pre-natal liturgy – one that joyfully recognises the presence of the Savior from within. In this holy encounter, we see the dignity of life affirmed even before birth.
Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krakow, Poland (Photo by Totus Tuus Apostolate)
Mary’s canticle, the Magnificat (Lk 1:46–55), is a song of prophetic justice. She praises God who ‘has looked with favour on His lowly servant’ and ‘has lifted up the lowly’. In the context of maternity, this does not suggest that motherhood is a reward for piety but mirrors that God often works through the hidden and ordinary parts of life to bring about extraordinary grace. The maternal body, like every human body, becomes a bearer of God’s action – not because of worthiness, but through divine love and invitation. This challenges a culture that often devalues motherhood and treats fertility as a burden rather than a blessing.
The Postpartum Period as Season of Grace and Community
The visitation scene ends at Luke 1:56 – from which we learn that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for approximately three months – most likely through the birth of St. John the Baptist. Despite the physical and emotional intensity of childbirth, the postpartum period has received little theological reflection – apart from ritual purity laws in Leviticus 12, which are often misunderstood or underexplored in contemporary faith contexts when pertinent to safeguarding the mother-child dyad during their most vulnerable season. Anthropologically, the postpartum phase is not merely about physical recovery but a sacred season marked by renewal, rest, dietary prescriptions, prayer and continuation of God’s creative and nurturing work. It invites both mothers and community into a space of reverence, healing and thanksgiving – emphasising holiness of new life beyond birth itself.
The early Church Fathers, especially St. Ambrose, saw the Visitation not as a passive encounter but as a moment of active service – a ministry of presence, humility and maternal solidarity. Hence, this article purports that care for mothers should not end at birth but advocates for postpartum support as an act of justice, love and community (especially female communion and the importance of relational care in maternity) that embodies the Catholic Social Teaching principle of solidarity. As Fratelli Tutti #216-#217 calls for a ‘culture of encounter’ rooted in mutual care and presence, The Visitation offers a model on how Our Church should walk with pregnant and postpartum mothers – not only in prayer but policies, pastoral care within parishes and public witness by:
Establishing mother-to-mother support ministries that pairs expectant and new mothers with experienced women for spiritual companionship and practical help;
Offer special blessings for pregnant women and new mothers during Mass on Marian feasts or Mother's Day as means of affirming their vocation;
Create safe and welcoming spaces for mothers in forms of breastfeeding-friendly areas, access to childcare during liturgies and maternal prayer groups;
Provide pastoral care and accompaniment such as home visits or meal trains for mothers during pregnancy and the early postpartum months;
Integrate catechesis on the sanctity of motherhood into family life ministries, baptism preparation, youth education and marriage preparation modules.
Our Lady with holding Infant Jesus, Santa Maria in Aracoeli Basilica, Rome (Photo by Totus Tuus Apostolate)
As we honour this feast, we are called to enkindle a deeper reverence for the sanctity of motherhood in structures that support maternal health, family life and postpartum well-being. This article calls for a universal recognition that every pregnant mother carries God’s promise and every postpartum mother reveals God’s love through her body. The Church, following Mary’s example, is called to bless, serve and support this sacred reality in every mother.
