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From Archbishop Donoghue
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Mass for the Missionaries of Charity on their
48th Anniversary |
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary Dear Sisters, and Friends in Christ, Today we celebrate the feast our Lady of the Rosary. The stirring account of how the Turkish navy was vanquished in 1571 is one of the great stories of our Church’s history, and because of it, Pope St. Pius V instituted this feast. And for many years after, the feast was kept for its historicity - a feastday for political significance, as much as spiritual. But in our time, the Rosary, and the intercession that we plead for from our Lady, has taken on much greater scope that that of the 16th century. For today, we realize that it is as much by force of prayer that we overcome evil in the world, than it is by force of arms. And we realize that the patient and devoted acts of a few Christians, have within them the power to move people and to change events, in a way that leaves behind the blunt and destructive force of armies and navies. How many times, in the recent history of the world, has one people, or one tyrant sought to have their own way, by beating other people over the head, and in the end, nothing has been gained by all the violence? But on the other hand, who can say that it was not the countless numbers of Rosaries said over the past century, that resulted in the freeing of so many nations from the tyranny of world Communism, and the cold-heartedness of the atheist state? I suppose that we must all admit, that there are certain times when human suffering is driven to the extreme point where violence seems the only answer. But who would not rather place their hope, their faith, in the more peaceful, if not less demanding means, of prayer - of bringing about the will of God for Mankind, through supplication of the Divine Will, and through pleading for the intercession of Mary, and of all the saints? The Rosary is a most excellent form of prayer, and has as its end the ordering of our lives according to the events of Christ’s own life. If we trust the Rosary to act upon us, then God will truly use it as a means to fill our lives with grace, and to change us into what He wants, rather than what we want. But whatever our devotions may be, today is also a day to remember, because of what the Gospel has related, the primacy of the Lord’s own prayer, the Our Father, the prayer proclaimed by the Church before all others, and shared with the Church by the greatest numbers of like-minded Christians. For the Lord’s Prayer is one that can be uttered by all - a prayer that cannot fail to impart grace to those who say it sincerely. It is the prayer of reconciliation specified by the Church as a preamble to our exchange of peace at every Mass - and it is the prayer of humility, appointed by the Church as the best immediate preparation for our reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. Dear Friends, and dear Sisters - today we also recognize the 48th anniversary of the Missionaries of Charity, and we pray that the spirit of our Founder, Mother Teresa, may inspire us to an even greater need for prayer in our lives, for God draws our salvation from the needs of our souls, and not from those things we have already accomplished. And may those needs we experience, the need to serve, an the need to share the love we have found in the Lord, lead us to further good works, for the glory of God, and for the salvation of Mankind. We ask our Lady, on this day special to her, to hear these our prayers, and to bring them before the Throne of God on our account. Amen. + |