Homily Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (The Prayer that Has it All)
Homily Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (The Prayer that Has it All)
Somehow it seems strange that this feast which revolves around one of the most popular devotions of the Roman Catholic church began as a way to remember a major naval victory at Lepanto in 1573. The Christian navy destroyed the navy of the Ottoman Empire.
Today we use this day each year as a time to reflect on the gift that the rosary is in so many people’s prayer lives. The rosary combines several different aspects of prayer.
We can think of the rosary as rote prayer. Quite often, this type of prayer gets a bad rap. But many people are intimidated by spontaneous prayer. Somehow, they don’t believe they will pray correctly. Using the memorized prayer is less threatening perhaps and memorized prayer can be helpful when we are tongue tied.
The prayers our scriptural in nature. The first words of the Hail Mary come from the message proclaimed by the Angel Gabriel when the angel appeared to the Blessed Virgin in the Gospel of Luke. Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus the “Word Made Flesh.”
The rosary is also a way meditating on the life of Christ. The mysteries refer to episodes in the life of Jesus. If we want to reflect for a few moments on the Christ event saying the twenty decades of the rosary are a good way to do this.
We could also say that the rosary is a contemplative prayer. Saying the same prayers repeatedly is a form of centering prayer. We relax and lose ourselves in the prayer. Resting in God is the highest form of prayer
Questions for Reflection:
- Is the rosary a prayer that I find more satisfying to say alone or in a group? Is it necessary to pray the rosary exactly as outlined or can I use it in other ways?
- The rosary usually takes about twenty minutes to recite. Can I spare twenty minutes a day for prayer?
Dear Parishioners,
I just want to remind people that on Friday’s before Mass parishioners say the rosary as a group. If you like to pray with others in this fashion, I encourage you to participate. The rosary usually starts about 7:40.
Remember this Sunday there will be a walking tour of our stained-glass windows. This will begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 3 p.m. A printed explanation of the windows will be provided. You are invited to come and enjoy the beauty of these works of art.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark