Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain; Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall pass through her no more. And then, on that day, the mountains shall drip new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk; And the channels of Judah shall flow with water: A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD, to water the Valley of Shittim. Joel 4:17-18
While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Luke 11:27-28
Piety
Let us pray. O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Study
Yesterday the Church marked the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. The USCCB has noted October as the month of the Rosary. So, today, the Good News from St. Luke presents us with a most curious take on our prayers to the Blessed Virgin.
When confronted with praise for his mother by a member of the assembled crowd, Jesus – rather than thanking the person who offered the blessing – seems to reject it. However, in this rejection, he extends the blessing. Of all the qualities that set Mary apart from people throughout history, was her totally willingness to deny herself and follow the plan that God announced to her. Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Rather than just praise Mary, Jesus wants us to imitate Mary. Praying the Rosary is one thing – and a good thing. However, living our lives in imitation of the qualities that we mediate upon during those 20 Mysteries is really what we are faced with as Christians. Only then can we obtain the promises held in the Rosary and Sacred Scripture and our faith traditions – promises echoed by the prophet Joel. Our “mountains shall drip new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk.”
Action
May we imitate the mystery of what the Rosary and the life of Mary contains?
How can we imitate the qualities of life that are presented to us in the Mysteries of the Rosary? Take your favorite decade of the Rosary – or your single favorite mystery of the Rosary as a source for your meditate today. How will you live today in a way that proclaims that mystery in all you do?
