‘They did not understand’ Lk.2.51

The first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke is a question, a question he asks his parents Mary and Joseph, “Why did you search for me?” Having received no answer he asks another question, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Lk. 2:49. The parents are surprised and perhaps even a bit annoyed at his question. Luke concludes the incident with a passing comment, “they did not understand what he meant. His mother treasured all these things in her heart” Lk.2.51.

To understand the greatness of Mary and Joseph we must meditate on this passing remark of Luke. In Mary’s heart there was a big store of things she did not understand. She did not understand fully all  the words of angel Gabriel at the annunciation. She did not fully grasp why the promised child had to be born in a stable. She did not understand why she had to flee with the child to Egypt soon after his birth. She did not understand fully the words of Simeon, “a sword shall pierce your own soul.”  She did not understand the first ‘why’ of Jesus to her at the temple of Jerusalem. She did not understand when later  at Cana  Jesus said, “Woman, what concern is that to us and to you?”  Mary did not understand when during Jesus’ public life he asked, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Mt. 12.48.  Mary did not fully understand why her son had to die a shameful death on  Calvary.

There is a school of thought which says that Mary perfectly understood from the beginning all that was going to happen to Jesus. There is another school of thought which says together with St Luke that ‘they did not understand’ all that Jesus said and did. 

Faith is to believe in things that we don’t see. At Cana we are told the disciples believed in Jesus after the  miracle, but Mary believed in Jesus before the miracle. By telling Jesus, “They have no wine”, Mary was not just passing an information but asking for a miracle. How did she know Jesus could work a miracle for he had not worked a miracle until now, for St John says,  “this was the first of his signs.” Jn. 2.11

Faith is to believe without signs. Faith is to believe that God is larger than our mind. Faith is to give a place in our hearts for things we don’t understand.  There are things which  the heart knows that the mind don’t understand. Faith is to make a big store in our hearts for things we don’t understand. Mary teaches us the truth that we can hold on to God’s promises even when we don’t understand.

Elizabeth was the first to recognize the true greatness of Mary when she said, “Blessed are you who believed.” Lk.1.45. Thirty years later Jesus would reaffirm what Elizabeth had said, “Blessed are those who hear the word and keep it”. Again Jesus would praise her faith when he said, “Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and mother.” The ability to believe, the ability to hear the word, is the greatest gift that Mary received. In the estimate  of both Elizabeth and Jesus, two persons who knew Mary better than anyone else, spoke of her greatness as her ability to hear the word and keep it. There is a proverb which says, “What you are speaks so loud, I cannot hear what you say!”. The life of Mary speaks so loud there was no need for her to say many words. The only sermons she has preached has just five words, “Do whatever he tells you”. These  words to the servants at Cana is the shortest of sermons, the best of sermons. What she preached is what she has lived from her Annunciation to her Assumption.   

Mary walked the pilgrimage of faith. Just as Abraham walked up the mountain of Moriah with Isaac by his side and the wood for sacrifice on Issac’s shoulders and yet he had the ability to believe that God is faithful to his promises. In the same way Mary would walk up another  mountain  with her Son by her side and the wood for  sacrifice on his shoulders and like Abraham,  Mary too believed that God will bring about a fulfillment of his promises.  By their extraordinary ability to believe against all odds and counter signs,  Abraham  became the Father of Faith and Mary, the Mother of Faith.

The true greatness of  Mary is her faith. Her life was like ours. She faced the same sort of oppressive, hopeless, insoluble situations in which we often find ourselves placed. Life seems so full of contradictions and false promises. The bright happy world we were promised, is full of hunger and sickness,  violence and war,  pollution and corruption, false guarantees and sufferings. Confronted with this dichotomy and falsehood we cannot let go the only hope we have – our faith.

Like Abraham we need to walk where there isn’t any path. Like Peter we need to dare and step on the water and walk on the raging waves. Like Mary of Nazareth we need to see where there isn’t any light and hold on to the promise of a new dawn.

-        Fr T.V.George sdb  

 

 

The Holy Rosary

‘Our entire faith in our hand’

The Holy Rosary is one of the most enduring devotional practices in the Catholic Church. Simple in structure yet profound in its spiritual depth, the Rosary leads the faithful to contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s life through the loving gaze of His Blessed Mother.

The History of the Rosary

Many associate the origins of the Rosary  with St. Dominic in the 13th century. Tradition holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1214 and gave him the Rosary as a weapon against heresy. The Dominicans certainly played a major role in popularizing the Rosary. The practice of using beads to count prayers is very ancient and is not limited only to Catholics.. Early Christian monks would recite the 150 Psalms, and illiterate laypersons began to substitute 150 ‘Our Fathers,’ in place of the psalms and often counted on a string of beads. In the 15th century, a Carthusian monk named Dominic of Prussia helped develop the ‘Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary’ by meditating on the life of Jesus while reciting the Hail Mary. Eventually, the structure of the Rosary took shape: 15 Mysteries divided into three groups—Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious. In 2002, Pope John Paul II enriched the Rosary by adding the Luminous Mysteries, highlighting key events in Jesus’ public ministry.

Spirituality of the Rosary.

Paul VI in his Apostolic Exhortation, ‘Marialis Cultus’(MC) speaks of the Rosary as “the compendium of the entire Gospel”.  The recitation of the Rosary if done in a relaxed and reflective manner takes the nature of a contemplative prayer, a meditation on the Life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Mary, the one who was closest to the Lord. To pray the Rosary means to contemplate with Mary the Lord who was made flesh, crucified and raised for our salvation. “The Rosary is thus a Gospel prayer” (MC 44).

Pope John Paul II is often called the ‘Pope of the Rosary’. In his Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (2002) he calls the Rosary is a ‘ Christ-centered and contemplative prayer’. Each decade invites the faithful to meditate on a particular mystery from the life of Jesus and Mary, enabling the repetition of vocal prayers to become a backdrop for quiet reflection. He called the Rosary a prayer “destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness”. He strongly encouraged families to pray the Rosary together saying, “The family that prays together stays together.’

Pope Francis  recommends frequent praying the Rosary as part of our daily life, especially during the months of May and October, “The Rosary is the prayer that always accompanies my life; it is also the prayer of the simple and of the saints... it is the prayer of my heart.” Pope Francis emphasizes the Rosary as a spiritual weapon against evil and discouragement and encourages families and communities to rediscover this devotion as a source of strength, unity, and hope.

Rosary is a Prayer of the Church

The Rosary fosters our faith. “The great power of the Rosary is that it makes a prayer of the Creed”. The Rosary enables us to speak and hold “our entire faith in our hand.” ( Cardinal Newman).

 

The Rosary is a humble and a persistent prayer. Jesus praises and acknowledges those who press on with their petitions until they are heard. Christ praised the faith of the Canaanite woman who persisted with her request (Mt 15: 21-28). Jesus acknowledged the persistence of the widow in the Parable of the Unjust Judge ( Lk 18: 1-8). When repetition is a sign of deep distress, together with an unbounded confidence, it becomes an authentic prayer. When Rosary is prayed with persistence and confidence, one will not be disappointed.

Rosary highlights the maternal role of Mary in redemption. We talk to Mary as we talk to our mother. It opens our hearts to imitate Mary in her humility and openness to the Word of God, which are fundamental attitudes to receive the Kingdom of God. Through this prayer we get close to Jesus and through him to the Father.

Popes and saints have consistently encouraged the Rosary as a tool for spiritual growth and evangelization. In times of crisis Church turns to the Rosary. The Christian victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, attributed to the intercession of Our Lady through the Rosary, led Pope Pius V to establish the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. Families, parishes, religious communities, and lay groups have found in the Rosary a shared language of prayer and a means of spiritual unity.

Rosary and Liturgy

Though Rosary is not part of the public liturgy of the Church, the Rosary complements the liturgical life of the Church. “Liturgical celebrations and the pious practice of the Rosary must neither be set in opposition to one another nor considered as being identical” (MC 48). The more a prayer preserves its own true nature the more fruitful it becomes. When the pre-eminent value of the Liturgy is affirmed, it will be not be difficult to appreciate the fact that Rosary is a practice of piety which easily harmonizes with the liturgy. Like liturgy, Rosary is a community prayer, it draws its inspiration from the Gospels, and is oriented towards the mysteries of Christ. Liturgy presents anew the great mysteries of our redemption. The Rosary by means of contemplation, recalls the same mysteries and stimulates the will to draw from them the norms of living.   Meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary, can be excellent preparation for the celebration of the same mysteries in liturgical action. The Rosary prepares the heart to participate more fully in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. By contemplating the mysteries of Christ's life, the faithful are better disposed to understand and live the mysteries they celebrate at the altar.

The Prayer  ‘Hail Mary’

The beginning words of the Prayer Hail Mary are the words of Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary announcing a new dawn for humanity. The name ‘Mary’ calls to mind the sister of Moses and Aron, ‘Miriam’,  who led the singing and thanksgiving after the Crossing of the Red Sea ( Ex 15.20). ‘Full of Grace’, expresses God’s permanent favour to Mary. She is greeted as the beloved of God, personification of the People chosen and loved by God. ‘The Lord is with you’, reminds one the words God spoke to Moses, “I will be with you” ( Ex 3.12), when Moses was fearful of the task entrusted to him. When Gideon received his mission of saving the Israelites, the Angel tells him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior” ( Judg 6.12). The task entrusted to Mary for the salvation of the world is beyond human power, but with God’s presence with her she is able.

‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb”.  This blessing  spoken by Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, is modeled on the blessing addressed to Judith by the people whom she had saved from Holofernes, “Blessed are you, daughter by the Most High God, above all women on earth, and blessed be the Lord God” (Jdt 13.18).  Mary is the new Judith chosen by God to give birth to the one who is to bring Salvation to the world. 

The second part of the prayer, “Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners”, this  prayer of supplication, was added in the 15^th century.  Mary is ‘Holy’. She is full of grace, preserved from all stain of sin. She is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the tabernacle of the Most High.  The Council of Ephesus in the year 431 officially proclaimed Mary as the ‘ Mother of God’. It expresses Church’s belief in the reality of the Incarnation, the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary. Mary is ‘theotokos’ because the Word was made flesh in her and through her. The words, ‘Pray for us’ expresses the fact that Mary in union with Christ intercedes for us. The communion of Saints finds its supreme fulfillment in the maternal love of Mary, who prays  and cares for the brothers and sisters of her son. The word ‘sinners’ reminds us of the prayer of the tax collector, “Be merciful to me a sinner”(Lk 18.13).

The concluding words of this prayer, “Now and at the hour of our death”, were added only in the 19th century. Amid the daily preoccupations of life, we keep an eye of faith on our eventual destination.  As pilgrims of hope we are moving to our Father’s house. Mary who was  at the foot of the Cross  when Jesus died is our refuge and hope.

“The litany- like succession of  Hail Mary’s becomes,  in itself an unceasing praise to Christ, who is the ultimate object  both of the Angel’s announcement and the greeting of the Mother of John the Baptist: ‘Blessed is the fruit of your womb’. The Jesus that each Hail Mary recalls is the same Jesus whom the succession of mysteries propose to us – now as the Son of God, now as the son of the Virgin  - at his birth in a stable at Bethlehem, at his presentation by his Mother in the Temple, as a youth full of zeal for his Father’s affairs, as the Redeemer  in agony in the garden, scourged and crowned with thorns, carrying the Cross and dying on Calvary, risen from the dead and ascended to the glory of the Father to send forth the gift of the Spirit” ( MC 46).                                                                  

Conclusion

The Holy Rosary is far more than a string of beads or a recitation of prayers. It is a spiritual journey, a school of discipleship, and a weapon of peace and grace. Through its mysteries, we enter into the life of Christ with Mary as our guide. In a world often distracted and hurried, the Rosary offers a rhythm of peace. In times of conflict and uncertainty, it gives comfort and clarity. In the life of the Church and the heart of every Christian, the Rosary continues to be a path to holiness, a wellspring of grace, and a sign of Mary’s maternal presence. To echo the words of St. Padre Pio: “Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today.”

-        Fr T.V. George sdb 

                            

                                                      The Stations of the Cross

“We worship you O Christ and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.”

 The Cross was not a misfortune that came to Jesus at the end of his life. He was born on to a Cross, the Cross was always before him and  the Cross was the theme of his teachings.

The CRIB : “He came to his own and his own received him not” Jn1:11. He was born in a Crib and died on a Cross. He had the company of sheep when he was born and two thieves on either side when he died. Born in a stable, surrounded by animals, visited by the poor shepherds, his birth is the theme of the Cross. The Stable, the Fleeing into Egypt, the Martyrdom of the Innocents, Simeon’s Prophecy of the sword, are all themes of the Cross.  

 

CANA: “My hour has not yet come” Jn.2:4. Cana stands at the beginning of the road to Calvary.  At the request  of his mother, Jesus begins ‘the hour’. The fullness of ‘the hour’ will be on Calvary. His mother is present by his side at Cana as well as on Calvary. She ‘did not understand’   his words neither at the temple in Jerusalem nor at the wedding feast at Cana.  Jerusalem, Jordan, Cana  are the  Stations of the Cross. 

 

The SALT : “You are the salt of the earth” Mt 5.13. Jesus proclaims on the mountain of the Beatitudes at the beginning of his ministry.  Salt has to go into the boiling water and lose its colour and shape, then only it can bring taste. Jesus is the Salt that has been thrown into the cauldron of suffering and pain that he might bring taste,  joy and life to those who receive him. Salt is clearly the theme of the Cross. The Beatitudes are the victory anthem of those on the way of the Cross.

 

The LIGHT : “You are the light of the world” Mt 5.14. Jesus proclaims on the mountain of Beatitudes. A light, the moment it is lit, begins to die.  For fear of death a  candle, is not meant to be kept locked up safely, but it is lit and placed on a lamp-stand for all to see. A light gives and gives, until it is no more. “It is in dying that we are born to eternal life”. Jesus is the Light that gives itself and dies so that others can see.  Jesus’ gaze is on Calvary as he preaches the Beatitudes and gives lessons on Salt and Light.

 

The GRAIN of WHEAT :  “ Unless a grain of  wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains a single grain” Jn.12:24. A grain must go under the mud and lose  its colour and shape and die, then only it brings new life.  By dying it gives new life. Jesus is the Grain of Wheat that was buried, so that it may bring new life. He  is the Seed that was rejected and thrown out. Every seed though small and shapeless, is energy, dynamism, power and life, waiting to be set free and die so that it can  bring  new life.  Death is the way to freedom and growth.   By his death, life has come into the world.  The Cross is the path to freedom and life. The grain of wheat and the Cross have much in common.

 

The BREAD : “I am the Bread of  Life” Jn.6:35. Bread has to be crushed and eaten to make it a source of life.  The wheat  has to be ground and powdered and baked to make it into bread. Jesus is the Bread that was crushed on the Cross so that we can have life. Every time he took  bread,  blessed it,  broke it  and gave it,  it was a prelude to his final giving  on the Cross. The Last Supper was an anticipation of Calvary. He is the Bread taken, blessed, broken and given.

 

 The VINE  : “ I am the True Vine”.  Jn. 15:1 . Vine that bears fruit is pruned by the Father so that it can bear more fruit. The knife that prunes the vine is held by the Father. He will not prune more than one can endure. His grace is sufficient for you. Pruning is painful but that is the only way to be more fruitful. Jesus learnt obedience through suffering. “Not my will, but thy will be done.”  The pruning of the vine is a lesson on the Cross.

 

The GOOD SHEPHERD : “I am the Good Shepherd” Jn.10:11. A shepherd leads his flock to green pastures. He calls each one by name. He knows his sheep and the sheep hear his voice. He lays down his life for his sheep.  He searches for the lost one ’until he finds’. The Father ‘runs’ until his hands are on the shoulders of his lost son.  If he searches we cannot be lost.  There is no distance too far that he cannot cover.  He died that we may have  life. “There is no greater love, than lay down one’s life for his friends”. The Shepherd  and the Cross have the same message.

 

The WAY, the TRUTH, and LIFE : “ I am the  Way, and the Truth and the Life” Jn.14:6. There is only one way, the way of the Cross. All the way to heaven is heaven for Jesus is the Way and his way is the way of the Cross. There is only one Truth. Jesus carrying the Cross and dying in agony and pain is the Truth. Pilate thought he had the truth since he had the power and splendour and crown. But Jesus clad in rags, crowned with thorns and carrying his Cross is the truth. All those who walk his way will find the truth and will have life.   

 

The TOWEL : “ He got up from the table, took off his outer robe and tied a towel around himself and began to wash the disciples feet” Jn.13:4-5. The symbol of authority for Jesus is a towel and not a kingly throne or a golden ring. When the disciples were quarrelling for a place on his right and left, he had strongly warned them, “It shall not be so among you”.   But they were slow to learn the lesson. So now he gives a powerful symbolic lesson on what authority means. Master has a towel around his waist and he washes their feet. Today it is the towel around his waist, tomorrow it will be the Cross on his shoulder and a crown of thorns on his head. We are so slow to learn the lesson of the towel is the lesson of the Cross.  

 

The CUP : “ Father if you are willing, remove  this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done”.  Lk.22:42 . Jesus was born on to a Cross. He preached the theme of the Cross. He walked the way of the Cross. But now that ‘the hour’ is close, he shivers and shudders. He faces ‘the dark night of the soul’. He doubts whether his death is truly what his Father wants of him. He prays for another way if possible.  But he leaves the final say to his Father. He trusts that his father will not prune more than he can endure.

 

The CROSS : “It is accomplished…and bowing his head he gave up the spirit” Jn. 19:30. Calvary is reached. Truth is nailed to a Cross. The bread is crushed.  His journey is over. ‘The hour’ has come.  God’s plan is accomplished.  The world is redeemed. He was born for this hour and he walked and taught this hour.  Now stretched on the Cross, as he suffers and dies he can say, ”It is accomplished”. 

 

  “We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those who are called… Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom,  and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength”. I Cor. 1:25

 

-        Fr T.V. George sdb