Our Mother in Heaven

Oct 7: Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Sister Mary Jean Dorcy wrote, “Mary, Mother of us all and dispenser of graces, will never stand and let a faithful child be lost. No mother would, were it in her power to save her child. Mary has seen the terrible cost of sin: no wonder she hates it. She has seen how much her Son suffered for mankind: no wonder she loves us.”

As we see in today’s readings, Mary was there at the beginning and end of Jesus’ time on Earth. That’s why it makes sense to say so many Hail Marys when reciting the rosary. Mary was there, or nearby, for every one of the mysteries we reflect on.

Reading 1

Acts 1:12-14

After Jesus had been taken up into heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away.

When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

This is pretty much the beginning of Acts of the Apostles, and so Luke, like a good writer, introduces us to the main cast—you know, the eleven remaining apostles.

The only other named person is Mary herself. Even the early Church fathers recognized her critical role in history. Yes, Peter is the rock on which He built the Church, but how would Jesus have felt about John if he’d left Mary out of their early communal meetings? Jesus told John to take care of her like his own mother, which would of course mean listening to her counsel and obeying her wishes. They probably all did.

And we should, too. That’s why we have the rosary.

Responsorial Psalm

Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

R.   The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
"For he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
"He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
"He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
"He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

Those who pray the liturgy of the Hours will recognize this passage as a prayer called the Magnificat. It’s Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s greeting (from which we get the second stanza of the Hail Mary).

These are ancient prayers Christians have been recited since the beginning of the Church, in some cases, daily. Which makes sense—everyone is devoted to their mother from birth, including the Church.

One way we continue that tradition is with the rosary. Have you prayed your rosary today?

Alleluia

See Lk 1:28

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Okay, here’s another adorable Tomics Comic.

While the Hail Mary has been around since the beginning, rosaries as we know them today weren’t really used until the Late Middle Ages.

Gospel

Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Bishop Barron has pointed out that the Gospel of Luke starts out in a grand way, placing the story in the historical context, talking about Herod, and Quirinius the governor of Syria, and Caesar Augustus.

But those Great Men™ aren’t the principal characters of this story. No, our heroine is a young woman from a small town on the edge of the empire. Our savior is a baby.

Mary’s humility, not doubt, leads her to question the angel. Gabriel tells her not to worry, it’s all part of God’s plan. And Mary’s response to the call is simple—I’ll do whatever God has planned for me.

Little kids learn to speak by listening to their mother talk. We should learn to pray by listening to how our holy mother prayed.