May the Lord bless you with peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 07th September 2021.
On the wall of a German concentration camp written with hope: “I believe in the Sun, even though it is not shining; I believe in love, even when I feel it not; I believe in God, even when God is silent.”
Is it useless to serve God? or rather why do we need to serve God?
We celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. This feast is attributed to an apparition of Our Lady to St Dominic in 1208 in the church Prouille, near Carcasonne in the south of France. Pope Pius V instituted this feast as “Our lady of Victory.” to remember the victory celebration of Austria over Turks at Lepanto. Later, Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to “Our Lady of the Rosary”. Today’s celebration calls on us all, the believers to meditate the mysteries of the Lord using the rosary. In addition to that this entire month is dedicated to reciting the rosary and experience its significance in our personal life. The most favourite and famous prayers of all time is the rosary and rightly called the compendium of the Gospel with its profound truth in synthesis. We are all invited to use this method of simple contemplation reciting the rosary.
We reflect on Malaki 3:13-20 and the Gospel of Luke 11:5-13.
The sentiments expressed by the people of Israel after returning from Babylon in the first reading is the same feeling predominantly in our lives too. “‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we count the arrogant happy. Certainly, evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”
Life is so complicated, ambiguous, and indeed complex. Yet most of us try to live a morally responsible, lovingly truthful, charitably generous to please God. Yet, we feel that we are not blessed and prosper in what we do. But the dishonest people seem to be doing well. The responsorial Psalm rightly praises: “Happy are they who hope in the Lord.”
That is why the Gospel encourages us to be persevere in praying. “Ask, it will be given to you.” (Lk.11:9). Our Father in Heaven cares for us all not matter what we are and what do in our life. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk.11:13).
The rosary is the prayer of perseverance too. Rosary teaches us to be patient, hopeful and persistent. His Holiness Pope Francis encourage each one of us: “I invite you to pray the rosary, and to carry it in your hands or in your pockets. The recitation of the rosary is the most beautiful prayer we can offer to the Virgin Mary; it is a contemplation on the stages of the life of Jesus the Saviour with his Mother Mary and is a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations,” May we continue to persevere in our prayer life however frustrating and painful life we are in. May God bless you and wishing you all a happy feast of Our Lady of Rosary.