The
child leaps in the womb; the mother is filled with the Holy Spirit,
but not before her son. Once the son has been filled with the Holy
Spirit, he fills his mother with the same Spirit. John leaps for joy,
and the spirit of Mary rejoices in her turn. When John leaps for joy
Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, but we know that though
Mary’s spirit rejoices, she does not need to be filled with the
Holy Spirit. Her son, who is beyond our understanding, is active in
his mother in a way beyond our understanding. Elizabeth is filled
with the Holly Spirit after conceiving John, while Mary is filled
with the Holy Spirit before conceiving the Lord. Elizabeth says:
Blessed are you because you have believed.
You
also are blessed because you have heard and believed. A soul that
believes both conceives and brings forth the Word of God and
acknowledges his works.
–-
Saint Ambrose of Milan from his commentary on Luke
