ROSARY--A PRAYER SO PERFECT

October 7, 2010
FEAST OF MARY— QUEEN OF THE HOLY ROSARY
Luke 1: 26-38

Rosary: The Tradition and Spirituality of the Church

Rosary is one of the greatest spiritual treasures of the Church. Traditionally the rosary—a garland of beads—has been part of the spiritual traditions of all major religions. For the Catholics the Rosary has found its unique role in the life of the Church. Rosary is a living prayer that grows with the Church. The use of the prayer beads and the repeated recitation of prayers to aid meditation were found in the earliest traditions of the Church and have roots in the pre-Christian era. The structure of the rosary as we have it today evolved between the 12th and 15th centuries. Tradition has it that in the early 13th century St Dominic introduced and propagated the Rosary after a vision from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the 15th Century AD the rosary has gained greater popularity and in the spirituality and life of the Church. The saints and the popes have extolled the efficacy and power of the rosary down through the centuries. Mary herself in many of her apparitions has invited her children to take recourse to the strength and grace of the rosary. Indeed, for many Catholics, Rosary has become the unique sign of their faith and faithfulness, spirituality and tradition. The rosary has gained such a great place in the lives of the believers of all the walks and levels of faith. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."

The Four Elements of the Rosary

Indeed, the Rosary as we have it today, is more than a prayer, a garland of prayers. Indeed it is a summary of the entire Christian spirituality. Basically it contains four major elements of the Christian spirituality. These elements are: 1) Biblical spirituality, 2) Christological spirituality, 3) Trinitarian spirituality, and 4) Marian Spirituality.

Biblical:

The rosary is primarily a meditative prayer of the Scripture. It is rooted on the major episodes of the Holy scripture, specifically the Gospels. The rosary contains a remembrance, reflection and meditation on the life and mission of Jesus in his joyous, glorious, sorrowful and luminous mysteries. One who prays the whole rosary is praying the scripture in its entirety. The scripture, when meditated upon, effects a sanctification and purification of the heart of the one who prays the rosary. The entire prayers in the rosary are either directly taken from or greatly inspired by the scripture. Therefore, the rosary is a wonderful prayer with the Bible. In earlier times, the rosary was given as a substitute of "praying the psalms", as many were illiterate and were not able to read through the daily Biblical prayer of the psalms. How beautiful is the prayer of the rosary, as we recite it, we are praying with the hosts of angels, in the hymn of the Holy spirit and entering into the core of the Divine Word!

Christological:

The Rosary is a prayer of and about the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from the meditative prayer on His life and mission, in rosary we pray with the Lord to the Father. When disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, Jesus taught them the prayer “Our Father”, and reminded them this is how they should pray. The Lord’s Prayer is a central element of the rosary. In fact, in the initial stage of the development of the rosary, the string of beads came to be known as “Paternosters”, the Latin for “Our Father”. By repeating the Lord’s Prayer more than five times in the five decades of the rosary, one is joining the Lord in praying the way He prayed, and join with Him in calling on to the heavenly Father.

Trinitarian:

The Mystery of God revealed in the scriptures as One Divinity in three persons is celebrated and lived over as the children of God pray the rosary. In this sense, the Rosary is a Trinitarian prayer, more than anything else. The rosary begins and ends with the invocation of the Holy Trinity; The Holy Trinity is invoked again in the repeated recitation of the Doxology (“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…”), and the role of the Holy Trinity is extolled in the history of salvation as in Mary God has become her beloved Father, cherished son and holy spouse. So profound is the rosary as a prayer and spirituality that through this mediation we enter into the core of the mystery of the Godhead and experience a mystical union with the Divine.

Marian:

Rosary, being the prayer of the Church, is also a prayer with Mary the mother and model of the Church. However, rosary is not invented by Mary, or by any other individual in the Church. As we have already seen, the rosary is scriptural prayer. The “Hail Mary” repeated over fifty times is taken from and inspired by the scripture. The first part of the prayer “Hail Mary” is the salutation of the Angel at the annunciation, and the exaltation of Elizabeth at the visitation of Mary. The second part of the Hail Mary is a prayer through the intercession of Mary for forgiveness and mercy. Mary, as the mother and prototype of the church, continues to journey with the church. By invoking her intercession one is entering into the heart of Jesus, sanctity of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Father.

Connecting the past, present and the future:
The prayer “Hail Mary” is a connecting prayer. It connects the past, present and the future of humanity in general and the individual follower in particular.

The Past: As I pray, “Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners”, I am recalling my state of being sinful, my imperfections, failures and weaknesses of my past life. This becomes a prayer of reconciliation, reparation and repentance. Repentance is made possible by the recollection of the great love and mercy of God revealed in the history of salvation. My past life, therein is surrendered to the mercy and compassion of God.

The Present: “Pray for us sinners, now”. I put my trust in the Lord not only for His forgiveness and mercy, but for His great love and compassion that draws me close to His grace this day. I feel weak in my body, mind and spirit, yet the grace of God envelops me this very moment. This is why, trusting in His word I come to name and ask my needs to the Lord. I have confidence that through the powerful intercession of Mary, God will answer my prayers today. I bring to the Lord all my sorrows (in the sorrowful mysteries), joys (in the joyful mysteries), gratitude (in the glorious mysteries), and doubts, confusions and need for enlightenment (in the luminous mysteries). This way, even as the rosary becomes a profound celebration of the life of Christ in his joys, sorrows, glory and revelations, it also becomes a sacrificial offering of my entire life experiences of joys, sorrows, glory and enlightenment.

The Future: “Pray for us… at the hour of our death”. The recitation of the rosary reminds me repeatedly (over fifty times) of my destiny with God, the fragility of my life on earth, and the need for grace and strength as I will pass from this world at the call of the Lord. What more can we ask, and what more do I need than the assurance of the Heavenly Home at the completion of my earthly sojourn? One of the promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her apparitions to those who pray and live the rosary is the assurance of a “blessed death”. They are also promised that they will not suffer eternal damnation. They will not, indeed, because in the rosary they keep reflecting on their past and present life, make promises of atonement and keep praying for a peaceful death and thereafter eternal life with the Lord. This is the beauty and power of the rosary: it sanctifies my past life, strengthens my present life and prepares me for my death and eternal life.

A perfect Prayer:

Rosary, therefore, is a perfect prayer. It is Biblical, Trinitarian, Christological and Marian. It connects my past, present and future life in the world and in the spirit. It encompasses all human experiences of joy, sorrow, success and enlightenment. It invites me to imitate the life of Jesus and Mary and strengthens me to obtain what they promise. So it is my privilege to adorn this garland of prayer, to take recourse to these beads of grace, and to keep praying and celebrating the rosary in the mysteries of my salvation.

NAME, SWEET NAME OF MARY!

September 8, 2010
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Matthew 1:1-16,18-23

Names: On this birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we heard in the Gospel proclamation, the genealogy of Jesus. So many names! I cannot but be amused every time I read these names out. Do you find your name there? If the genealogy of Jesus were to be written today, your and my name would find a place there. In the Matthean account of the family tree of Jesus, we have the names of those who connected the salvation history of Israel. Among these, some names are hard to pronounce, some are too odd to remember, some are very familiar, and yet some of these names are very sweet to me evoking great love, devotion and faith. The genealogy began with the name of Abraham, and ended with Jesus, the Emmanuel, the Son of Mary. The name of Jesus is the name above all names, the name before which all knees bend. Jesus brought us the name of God, a God who has been shied away from revealing His name to the prophets of the old. In Jesus, we know that God is Love, and He is with us. This name fills us with joy, adoration and hope. Another name, that lifts our spirit and draws us in joy is that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and our mother, too! The name of Mary is great and sweet not because we love her name, but more so, because God loves her name. The name of Mary has been in the heart of God even before He accomplished creation. Mary’s name was in the mind of God when He dwelled on the plan of salvation.

Speaking about names, I am reminded of a story I heard when I was in grade two. Abou Ben Adhem woke one day from a deep dream of peace, and saw, within the moonlight in his room, an Angel seated on a throne and writing in a book of gold. Abou was amused, at the vision, and in peace and courage he asked the Angel, “May I know, your grace, what are you writing in the book?” The angel raised his head gave a sweet glance at Abou and said, “I am writing the names of those who love the Lord”. Abou asked in anticipation, “Is my name there?”, to which the angel said, “sorry, Abou, your name is not yet in this book”. Abou’s face fell. Yet in peace, in a lower tone he said, “I pray, you then, write my name as someone who loves his fellow men”. The angel wrote and vanished. The next night, the angel came again with a great wakening light, and showed Abou another book in which were written the names of those who were loved by God. The angel then declare, “Here in this book of names, Abou Ben Adham, your name is first among those who are loved by God”.

Mama Mary’s name, we love it. Her name is great not because she loved the name of the Lord more than anyone else. But more so, because she is the first among those loved by the Lord. Remember what the angel told her at the annunciation: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is pleased with you!”. And Mary said, “the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is His name… All generations will call me blessed… (Lk 1: 48-49). God loved her from the beginning of creation, set her apart, gave her immaculate conception, and handed her His Son, to be cared for and to present Him to the world. Her name is closer to His heart that she was assumed into the throne of God, in body and soul.

Indeed, all generations will praise the name of Mary. Blessed be her name! The name of Mary is so sweet to us that we cannot even count how many names and titles we attribute to her. We call her in so many names because, for every need, every occasion, every struggle, we have our Mother coning to our rescue. We gather today to sing the praise of Mary, to glorify God for the great gift of Mary, and to thank Him for giving us a mother who is the model of all virtues. In Mary, God has taken shape, form and a name. In her, we have come to be beloved to the Father. In her, God has come to live with us. The Emmanuel is as much a gift of God to Mary, so also a gift of Mary to us.

We celebrate her birthday because she is our beloved Mother. As we celebrate her, we are also celebrating our life. A mother is pleased and happy when her children band together around her. It is the greatest joy of a mother to see her children united in love and growing in sharing and mutual understanding. Let us give our Blessed Mother that joy today by strengthening our familial and community bond, love and strengthening our relationships.

Mama Mary's name is sweet to us because she is a wonderful mother. She never abandons us. When she was here on earth, she left her hart with God in heaven. She left her heart with Jesus. Now when she is in heaven, she has left her heart with us here on earth. Mary cannot be happily seated in heaven as long as we, her children reach her in heaven. Her heart is with us. This is why, when we are in trouble, as a loving Mother she rushes to our help. When we are in pain, in distress and agony, our Blessed Mother feels our pain and she comes down to comfort us and to give us strength. What a grace for us to remember, that we have a Mother who is in heaven, whose heart is with us. So, keep clinging to her. Open your heart to your mother. Tell her of your struggles, pains and inadequacies. Tell her your stories. Since the time Jesus entrusted John to her as her son, Mary has kept us all in her heart, she has accepted us as her beloved children. She loves us as she loved Jesus. As she took care of Jesus today she takes care of us. As she carried Jesus in her hands, she carries us and brings us to the presence of the Heavenly and constantly intercedes for us. So on her birthday, ask the blessed mother, a special gift, a special favor that you need today.

On her birthday let us also give Mama Mary a birthday gift. Let us give her the best. The best gift we can give our Blessed Mother is the gift she gave us. The best gift she gave us is Jesus. Let us also give Jesus to others today. In our love, compassion, care, forgiveness and acts of charity we bring Jesus to others and share His presence with others. When we become mirrors of the Emmanuel, God with us, we become true children of Mary.

Happy birthday Mama Mary! We are happy for you, and because of you, Blessed Mother! I pray, you will be happy for me as well!