Reflection for Thursday on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Today's Word

"I m the Handmaid of the LORD"

Short Reflection of Today's Gospel Line (Luke 1: 38)

This Feast was Established by Pope St. Pius V in Thanksgiving for the Victory at Lepanto, 7 Oct 1571, which Stopped the Turkish Invasion of Europe. Importance: The Word Rosary means “Crown of Roses,” & Each Prayer in the Rosary is Considered a Flower Presented to Mary. It is Called the “Breviary of the Common People” & the “Psalms of the Illiterate.” The Prayers We Repeat are Biblical & hence “Inspired,” & the Mysteries We Meditate Upon are Taken from the Lives of JESUS & Mary.

The Various Events in the Lives of JESUS & Mary on which We Meditate during the Rosary are Expressions of the Paschal Mystery, that is, the Life, Death & Resurrection of JESUS, in which Mary Shared.

In 1214, According to the Legend, the Blessed Virgin Mary Appeared to St. Dominic Guzman & Instructed Him to Pray the Rosary in a New Form as an Effective Antidote Against the Albigensian Heresy. The Rosary Devotion Attained Its Present Form around 1500 A.D. An additional boost to the Rosary devotion was given in 1917, when Our Blessed Mother, in Her 6th Apparition to the 3 Shepherd Children, on the 13th of May, Asked Them to, “Say the Rosary Every Day… Pray, Pray a Lot & Offer Sacrifices for Sinners… I am Our Lady of the Rosary.” The “Fatima Prayer” (O My JESUS Forgive Us Our Sins, Save Us from the Fires of Hell & Bring All Souls to Heaven, Especially Those who are Most in Need of Your Mercy), Requested by Mary Herself at Fatima (July 13, 1917), was Added Following the “Glory be". Pope St. John Paul II Enriched the Rosary by Adding the “Luminous Mysteries”.

How to Pray the Rosary:

The ideal is to Recite at Least 5 Decades of the Rosary (& if possible, the Entire 20), with One’s Whole Family Daily. We are to Reflect for a Minute or 2 on the Mystery, & then Concentrate on the Meaning of the Prayers as We Say Them, to Avoid Distractions.

By becoming the handmaid of the Lord Mary Does Not Lower Herself in False Humility, instead She Expresses Her Faith & Her Surrender.

Mary has a Unique Role to Play in the Work of Our Salvation. She is the 'Marvel' that GOD Achieves at the Very Moment of Transforming Humankind into HIS Image. Along with the Son of GOD became Man, She is the Person whom GOD Lifts Up to Unique Intimacy with HIMSELF so that, through Her, HE can Come into the World.

Along with CHRIST the New Adam (Romans 6: 14 & 1Cor. 15: 45), She is the True Mother of the Living'.. the Woman of the New Creation, the New Eve, in Contrast to Eve the Sinner.

Good Morning

Happy Feast to U All

GOD Bless Us All Today