20161007 CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY CONTINUOUSLY IN THE ROSARY
Acts
1: 12-14
12 So
from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, they went back to Jerusalem, a short
distance away, no more than a Sabbath
walk;
13 and
when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying;
there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip
and Thomas, Bartholomew
and Matthew, James
son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James.
14 With one heart all these joined constantly in prayer,
together with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with his brothers.
Luke 1:26-38
27 to a
virgin betrothed to a man
named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 He
went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord
is with you.'
29 She
was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could
mean,
30 but
the angel
said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.
31
Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him
Jesus.
32 He will
be great and will
be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne
of his ancestor David;
34 Mary
said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge
of man?'
35 The angel
answered, 'The Holy Spirit
will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
cover you with its shadow. And so the child will
be holy and will
be called Son of God.
36 And
I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth
also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is
now in her sixth month,
37 for
nothing is impossible to God.'
38 Mary
said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have
said.' And the angel
left her.
CONTEMPLATING
WITH MARY CONTINUOUSLY IN THE ROSARY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ACTS 1:12-14; LUKE 1:26-38 ]
“All
these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” That Mary is mentioned
specifically with the rest of the apostles at the beginning of the Church
implies that she had gained a prominent position in the Church. She was
highly regarded by the early Christian community, including the apostles.
As the mother of Jesus and therefore of the body of Christ in an analogous
sense, since she is both mother of the Church and a member of the Church, she
is able to offer her maternal support.
This maternal role of Mary
in the Church is most fitting for her. We read in the gospel of John the
incident at the Wedding at Cana. Mary, a woman of charity and compassion, has
always been looking out for others. She was extremely sensitive to the
needs and feelings of others. Her first action following her election to
be the mother of our Lord was not to celebrate or announce to the whole world
how great and worthy she was to be chosen for the role. Rather, her
immediate concern was her cousin Elizabeth who, in her old age, was pregnant
and that she would need her assistance. Again, we notice this maternal
solicitation of Mary when the newly wedded couple ran short of wine for the
celebration. Her immediate instinct was to let her Son know the
predicament they were in.
Indeed, this maternal role
of Mary for the Church was also intended by our Lord Himself. When
asked to help the newly wedded couple, His response to Mary was “My time had
not yet come.” In other words, it was not time for Him to reveal His
glory. It was also not time for her to assume her role as the mother of
the Church. (cf Jn 2:1-12)
Regardless, on account of the faith of Mary, the Lord anticipated His glory by
changing the water into wine. But when the hour had finally
arrived, when our Lord was hanging on the cross, Jesus said to His mother,
“Woman, here is your son.” To the disciple Jesus loved He
said, “Here is your mother.” And we read, “From that hour the disciple
took her into his own home.” (cf Jn 19:26f)
In the light of what we
have said, it is fitting therefore for Mary to assume her rightful place in the
early Church. Her role was to point people to her Son. Just as she
brought the situation to Jesus and told the servants, “Do whatever he tells
you”, she too wants to continue to lead the early Church to our Lord. (Jn 2:5) For this
reason, she stood with Jesus until the end when He was on the cross; and with
the apostles in the Upper Room praying continuously as they waited for the
coming of the Holy Spirit. What would they be doing for nine days before
Pentecost and how did they pray continuously?
Besides vocal prayers, praying
the psalms, Mary would have shared with the apostles the life of Jesus.
Indeed, we know that the prayer of Mary was more contemplative than
vocal. We hardly hear her speak in the gospel. But we find her
always contemplating, pondering and reflecting on the events of
salvation. In today’s gospel she too asked the Angel how it could be
possible. She was always seeking understanding of the mystery of God’s
plan in her life. We can be sure that just as she contemplated the
significance of the birth of Jesus when the magi came to pay their respect to
the Lord; or when Jesus was lost at the Temple or when Simeon made the prophecy
how He would be the cause of the rise and fall of many, Mary would have spent
much time contemplating and reflecting on these events in her life.
The rosary, therefore, principally is not a vocal prayer but a prayer of
contemplation on the history of salvation, particularly the lives of Jesus and
Mary. Through a prayerful contemplation of their lives, we seek to be united
with them in mind and heart so that we could also live a life of faith, love
and compassion.
Contemplating on the
history of salvation, beginning with Abraham until the arrival of our Lord,
would have given the early Christians much strength and hope. “He protects
Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons forever.” Mary was able to connect for us the
unfolding of God’s plan in Christ, beginning from the Old Testament. In
this way, as expressed in the Magnificat, she would have given new strength and
courage to the early Christians.
Most of all, Mary would
have spoken about the marvels of God in Christ and recounted with the disciples
all that Jesus had said and done. Through contemplation on the marvels of
God we certainly find courage to face the future. “He looks on his
servant in her nothingness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed. The
Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name! His mercy is from age to age, on
those who fear him. He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the
proud-hearted. He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He
fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.’ Such is
the greatness and mercy of our God who comes to the help of the weak and the
humble. This was a necessary reminder to the disciples because before
they could be sent forth they needed to be reminded to rely on the power of the
Holy Spirit and not their own strength. Most of all, they needed to
keep themselves humble before the Lord so that God can work in and through
them. Remembering the works of Jesus in His ministry would have given
them the confidence to do what Jesus said and did.
Besides recounting all the
deeds of our Lord, especially His miracles and works of deliverance, she would
have helped the apostles to come to know the Lord better, how He felt and His
demeanor. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, Mary was always at the
background with the rest of the women. As a woman and as all women are,
she would have been very attentive to the needs, the feelings and the dreams of
Jesus. More so as the mother of Jesus, she would have this intuitive perception
of Jesus. Contemplation of our Lord certainly helped the disciples to be
prepared before they went out for the work of evangelization. They needed
to learn how to be sensitive to the needs of others, to feel with them as the
Lord did during His ministry.
Indeed, this is what the
rosary is all about. It is a powerful prayer and a continuous prayer
contemplating on the life of Jesus and Mary because both their lives were
intimately intertwined. To pray the rosary is to join her in
contemplating on the life of Christ, His works and words, and the mystery of
His person. Indeed, most of the events contemplated in the rosary are
fundamentally focused on Christ and less on Mary. This also explains why
St John Paul II added five more luminous mysteries to complete our
contemplation on the ministry of Jesus in the proclamation of the
kingdom. Yet, when we consider all the 20 events of the life of Christ
and Mary contemplated, only two refer directly to Mary. Even then, when
Mary is contemplated, the focus is never on herself but in relation to Christ
and the Church. In the mystery of Our Lady’s Assumption and Queenship,
she is contemplated not for herself per se but so that we, as the Church, can
remind ourselves that what Mary had already received, we too will be glorified
with her at the end of time and reign with the Lord forever.
So, as we celebrate the Feast
of our Lady of the Rosary, we are reminded not to pray the rosary in such a way
that it becomes monotonous; just a vocal prayer, without uniting our minds and
hearts with Jesus and Mary. Most of all, we must try to connect their
lives with ours so that we can gain inspiration and insight from them to live
our lives more joyfully and meaningfully. Praying the rosary is not just
praying to Mary but rather it is to pray with Mary, contemplating on the
mystery of salvation, especially the life of her Son. Through our
contemplation of the different events in the lives of Jesus and Mary, we can
gain insight as how we too can live our lives in such a way that is positive,
life-giving and one of faith and hope. And because this form of prayer is
so simple, all can pray together, young or old, the simple and the
intellectual, and yet all pray according to their depth of relationship as
well.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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