From Archbishop Donoghue
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Rosary Rally |
[See Georgia Bulletin account] My dear friends, I am happy to be here with you again this year, as we hold together this rally in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, the blessed Mother of God, and creation's most excellent expression of human faith. We might well spend these moments of meditation recalling the outstanding events of our Catholic history that have taken place under the banner of our Lady's Rosary - the victory over the Turks in 1571, which we celebrated on October 7th - we might remember the sweeping courage of St. Dominic, who moved against the Albigensian heresy with the catechism of the Church in one hand, and the Rosary in the other - we might recall that illustrious Pope, Leo XIII, who during a long pontificate, wrote no less than eleven encyclicals on the devotion of the Rosary, and who frames our feelings about this spiritual treasure in these words: It has always been the habit of Catholics in danger and in troublous times to fly for refuge to Mary, and to seek for peace in her maternal goodness; showing that the Catholic Church has always, and with justice, put all her hope and trust in the Mother of God. (Supremi Apostolatus Officio, 1883, 2) These and many other specific things might be drawn forth from our long and notable devotion to the Rosary, a shining facet of the Roman Church's singular and uncompromising fidelity. On the other hand, we might as easily consider, and be thankful for the instrument of the Holy Rosary, that is to say, the Rosary as a means for us to know and to feel the life and holy acts of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So complete is the Rosary as a prayer, that by faithfully reciting its parts, while contemplating the mysteries, we come to know, almost by intuition, the substance of the New Testament, the unfolding of God's salvation for mankind in the events of Christ's life. And a double reward is to be had from this active contemplation of the "telling of the beads" - for even as we learn the mysteries and statutes of the life of the Son of God, we come to know the mysteries and principles of our own lives - we learn the joy of accepting and living as Christians, we become strengthened for the sorrows of human life: pain, sorrow, and death - and we return always to the glory of God's promise, that we shall rise with Christ, that we shall witness Him upon His heavenly throne, His Mother at His side, her left hand on her heart, her right hand pointing to Him, as if to say, "Come to my Son through me, learn of my Son by exploring my human heart, the heart of a mother. Indeed, my brothers and sisters, we learn much from this holy sacramental sign of God's love, the Rosary, the beaded path to God's salvation and to His glory. And for all these things, in a profound depth which it wold be impossible to plumb on this, or on any one occasion, we return thanks to God, for the wisdom He has given us through our Lady and through her Rosary. But finally, after considering and bowing to the lofty and celestial thoughts to which our minds are raised by this prayer - after noting the events of history and the visions of saints and mystics, there is still one final level of meaning for us to consider and for which to be thankful - it may be the lowest in nobility, but it is certainly the highest in reference to our human, physical condition. For the Rosary is something that we have, that we hold, that we carry - in our pocket or our purse - it is not the feather of a thought or the thread of a mental prayer so easily lost - the Rosary is real, it is genuine, it is touchable - we reach for its reassuring and joyful company in the lowest of our depressions - we clasp it in our hands to find comfort on the sorrowful days of our bereavement - and we grasp it's glorious promise to our hearts as we seek the light which pierces the gloom and shows us the path to an answer, to understanding, to God's infinite "YES." If it is granted to me to know the moment of my departure, then at that moment, I pray, let my hands be filled with the beads of our Lady's Rosary, and let its crowning moment, the Cross of the crucified Christ, be planted upon my lips. And I know that everyone here will agree and join with me in that prayer. My dear friends, to close our meditation today, I want to return to some words of Pope Leo XIII, written in his encyclical entitled, On the Greatness of the Mother of God, conceived from intense devotion, and shared in phrases meant to speak for the entire Church, of whom we are a living part: In Mary we see how a truly good and provident God has established for us a most suitable example of every virtue. As we look upon her and think about her, we. . . are attracted by the closeness of the common nature we share with her, (and) we strive with greater confidence to imitate her. If we, with her powerful help, should dedicate ourselves wholly and entirely to this undertaking. . . we shall (certainly) follow her into heaven. How willingly will she hasten to our aid when we need her; with what love will she refresh us, and with what strength sustain us. Undaunted, (then,) and full of courage, let us go on with the pilgrimage we have undertaken, even though the way be rough and full of obstacles. Amid the vexation and toil, let us not cease to hold out suppliant hands to Mary with the words of the Church: "To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears; turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. . . Keep our lives all spotless, make our ways secure, till we find in Jesus, joys that will endure." (Magnae Dei Matris, 1892, 26-28) Amen. + |