Turn Now…Ten Times the More to Seek Him

Memoria de Nuestra Señora del Rosario

 

“Fear not, my children; call out to God! He who brought this upon you will remember you. As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him; For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.” Baruch 4:27-29

"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."  Luke 8:21-22

Piety

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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 while meditating on 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

What is the name of the river that runs through Jerusalem? Don’t let the question fool you.  The hints are all over the Bible starting in Isaiah 33:21.

Indeed, the LORD in majesty will be there for us a place of rivers and wide streams on which no galley may go, where no majestic ship may pass.

To Psalm 46:5

Streams of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High.

To Ezekiel 47:1

Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and there! I saw water flowing out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east. The water flowed out toward the right side of the temple to the south of the altar.

To Zechariah 14:8

On that day, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, and half to the western sea. This will be so in summer and in winter.

All the way to Revelation 22:1-2

Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.

What, then, is the name of the river that runs through Jerusalem?  If you guessed the Jordan River, you lose 10 points.  You have been singing “Go Tell It on the Mountain” too much. 

The Jordan River is indeed the place where Jesus was baptized by John.  That river is believed to be in Jordan, on the east bank of a large loop in the river opposite Jericho.  This site, guidebooks to the Holy Land, tell us is the area known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan. This is where John lived and baptized, and where Jesus fled for safety after being threatened with stoning in Jerusalem. However, the Jordan River is NOT in Jerusalem.

Last chance…what is the name of the river that runs through Jerusalem? If you guessed the Sea of Galilee, you lose another 10 points.

Fed mainly by the Jordan River and drained by it, this sea-lake serves as Israel’s chief water reservoir. Its other names include the Sea of Tiberias or the Lake of Gennesaret.  However, it is not a running river. The Sea of Galilee also is NOT the river of scripture fame.

The answer to the mystery is that Jerusalem is not situated on any river. These descriptions in the Sacred Scriptures derive from the allegorical descriptions of the divine abode and symbolizes the divine presence as the source of all life (“the river of life”).

Action

How do we get to know the divine mysteries of our faith?  One way is through factual study for the head. I got the descriptions of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee from the website www.Seetheholyland.net.   

There is also contemplation if you want to listen with the ear of your heart for the answers to the mysteries revealed. Today, on the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, we are invited to contemplate the 20 most significant mysteries of our faith.  Rest assured that from the Annunciation through the Crucifixion, from the Resurrection through the Ascension, there are no trick questions in the rosary, just profound mysteries to ponder. 

The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.
On the Most Holy Rosary (Rosarium Virginis Mariae)

The answers will be revealed to us just as they were revealed to the disciples.  Yet, we must spend some time in prayer and study to plumb these depths. The answers are for anyone who is childlike enough to approach building a relationship with Jesus.  Yet the Son will only reveal those secrets to those with whom he has a relationship.

Pray your least favorite decade of the Rosary or the decade you know the least or the five mysteries which give you the most trouble in faith and knowledge. 

“Turn now.”  Change the direction of your life.  “Ten times the more to seek him.” Ask Our Lady of the Rosary to be your guide. She will turn here eyes of mercy upon you when you seek the help of Our Most Gracious Advocate.